Its Time for Illinois to Void the FOID Card

Its Time to Void the FOID Card

The right to protect yourself, your family, and your home are fundamental to all Americans. In this time of rising crime, civil unrest, and political turmoil, the 2nd Amendment is as important now as it ever has been. In Illinois, that right has been jeopardized by the bureaucracy and administration created as a result of Illinois’ FOID card requirement, the card Illinois requires a person to have prior to taking ownership of a firearm.

I applied for my FOID card the night of the Naperville riots on June 1. Until that night, I had never had any desire to own gun. I assumed that if I ever wanted a firearm that I would be able to obtain one. I was wrong. It took Illinois 7 months from the date they received my online application and accepted my fees to issue the card. After looking into this delay, its apparent that many thousands of Illinois residents are similarly situated…some have even filed lawsuits over the processing delays. How many taxpayer dollars have been wasted dealing with those lawsuits?

The FOID card yields no public benefit. Criminals do not obtain the card and are rarely prosecuted for not having it. The FOID card requirement achieves nothing other than to create bureaucracy and deprive residents of their rights outlined under the 2nd Amendment. Illinois should eliminate the pointless FOID requirement, save the tax dollars spent administering this failed program, and allow our residents to protect themselves as they have the right to do as Americans.

Kevin Coyne

Naperville City Councilman