The state of Illinois has stringent requirements for any resident wishing to own a gun. The state has certain requirements a person must meet to obtain a Firearm Owner Identification (FOID) card. There are also certain factors that may result in a person being denied a FOID or having a current card revoked. If this has happened to you, do not delay in contacting an Illinois FOID attorney, especially if you currently own guns.
High Number of FOID Revocations Not Accounted For
According to recent testimony from members of the Cook County Sheriff’s Police Department to Illinois lawmakers, approximately 20,000 Cook County residents are holding revoked FOID cards. The testimony occurred at a hearing about how the state can curb violence and gun crimes.
The testimony revealed that approximately 33,000 Cook County residents have had their FOID cards revoked. Reasons for the revocations include domestic violence charges, felony convictions, or serious mental health issues. Of that number, almost 20,000 of those residents have not turned in their cards to law enforcement.
Of the 20,000, police have classified 1,800 as “clear and present danger” subjects, and 25,000 out of the 33,000 have failed to file the required documents stating that they no longer possess guns.
The testimony also revealed that in the past nine years, seven officers have been assigned to recover weapons and that they have been able to recover 881 guns from people whose cards have been revoked.
Proposed New Law
One lawmaker has proposed a new law requiring gun shops to conduct background checks on customers who are purchasing ammunition if they are using an older FOID card. The current bill only requires this check to be run on the new FOID cards, which do not have any expiration dates on them as the older cards do.
Contact a Chicago FOID Attorney
The penalties for anyone who is convicted of possessing a handgun illegally in Illinois are harsh. The crime is charged as a Class 4 felony if a conviction can result in a prison sentence of one to three years and/or a fine of up to $25,000.
If you have been denied a FOID card or your current card has been revoked, there may be steps that a seasoned Chicago FOID card denial and appeals lawyer can take to rectify this situation for you and enable you to legally own a gun. For more information, call Williams & Nickl, LLC at 312-335-9470 to schedule a free and confidential consultation.
Sources:
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2022/7/28/23283115/gun-laws-foid-card-revoke-firearm-owners-identification-cook-county-sheriff-tom-dart-highland-park
https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=1657&ChapterID=39