Why do we have FOID Cards?

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shotgunjoel

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Okay, I live here in Illinois, where constitutional rights like gun possession are licensed with a great little thing called a FOID (firearms Owner's IDentification) card. So to get a FOID all you have to do is send in your application saying you aren't a felon or insane, a picture, and $5 or something, and sit around and wait for your card in the mail. If you are an Illinois resident you must have a FOID to touch a gun or ammo. Gun shops won't hand you a gun without seeing your card. So I was thinking, "why do we have FOIDs?" It isn't so felons and crazy people can't buy guns, you have to pass that every time you buy a gun. So I figured they just want to give you a lot of hoops to jump through to get a gun, and then you are registered as a gun owner for a possible ban. I also thought that it could be so that they would have one more thing to charge you with if you commit a gun crime. So what are your thoughts on the reasons for FOID cards? Thanks.
 
Being an Illinois resident, I've often wondered the same thing. I think there is only 1 other state that requires FOID cards. Mainly IL as a state is anti-gun. Why don't we have CCW?
 
Let's swap out the word gun with another Constitutionally protected item, a Bible and see if the above post doesn't sound like something out of a comunist country. I will use Cuba.
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Okay, I live here in CUBA, where we don't have a constitution so BIBLE possession is licensed with a great little thing called a BOID (Bible Owner's IDentification) card. So to get a BOID all you have to do is send in your application saying you aren't a JEW or a CHRISTIAN , a picture, and $5 or something, and sit around and wait for your card in the mail. If you are a HAVANA resident you must have a FOID to touch a BIBLE or HYMNAL. Book stores won't hand you a BIBLE without seeing your card. So I was thinking, "why do we have BOIDs?" It isn't so COUNTER REVOLUTIONARIES and CHRISTIANS can't buy BIBLES, you have to pass that every time you buy a BIBLE. So I figured they just want to give you a lot of hoops to jump through to get a BIBLE, and then you are registered as a BIBLE owner for a possible ban. I also thought that it could be so that they would have one more thing to charge you with if you SPEAK OUT AGINST CASTRO. So what are your thoughts on the reasons for BOID cards? Thanks.

I could have substituted newspaper for gun also but as you see either way it does not sound like something that could happen in America but it has.

THE STATE OF ILLINOIS IS BREAKING THE LAW.
 
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That's not the only stupid thing about IL. Did you know.....in IL, a stun gun is classified as a firearm? And you have to have the FOID to posses one. My mother traveled from Indianapolis to my home in MN for Christmas this year, and wanted some sort of defensive device with her. Myself, and a homicide detective friend of hers suggested the stun gun, as a knife is just about useless. Upon further research, she was left with no means of defending herself because of this ridiculous mis-classification. How could you, the citizens of IL allow something so ridiculous to happen? I mean, if you could allow this, it's no wonder you have such trouble with actual guns.
 
Owen Sparks, you are a good man, at least from what I can tell.

eventer289, that's exactly what I'm wondering.

ThrottleJockey, trust me, we ("down staters") didn't LET it happen, just like we didn't LET FOIDs happen. It's this big pain in the butt called Chicago. Chicago is big enough to push the rest of the state around. Trust me, we fight, but we are too small.
 
Something I've always wondered about Illinois and the FOID is this:

I live in St. Louis. If I were to walk into a gun store in Illinois, could I buy a rifle or ammunition since I do't have a FOID?
 
Thingster, I'm almost positive that you don't need a FOID. I think that you just need to show an out of state drivers license or such thing.
 
There is a similar case to this in NY. You can buy as many long guns as you want with just a regular background check, but you need a state-issued firearms license to purchase a handgun. One reason they do it appears to be so that they can apply an increased level of scrutiny to handgun owners - in order to obtain a license, you need to submit references, and in some counties you can be asked to answer questions in front of a judge. Another reason is so that the state can track which handguns belong to whom - you need to file paperwork for each handgun that you buy and sell, and keep your license up to date as to which handguns you own.

What has always bothered me is that many stores have a policy that you can't even buy handgun ammunition if you don't have a handgun license. So what is someone supposed to do if they own a pistol-caliber carbine? And what about the fact that, for example, .22LR ammunition is widely used in both long guns and handguns? It seems like a lot of hassle for not a lot of return.
 
Licensing and registartion of firearms is a great way to know where to start your search when you go to round them all up after declaring marshal law.

On a more serious note, the anti-gun idiots actually believe that registration of firearms will, somehow, prevent crimes. I guess it by FM; that's Freakin' Magic, in case you don't catch the technical jargon. It has to be magic, because it has no basis in reality.
 
FIDs & FOIDs originate in the 60's, in the days before NICS.

They were originally evidence that you'd passed a background check and were not prohibited from possessing arms.

Since that purpose has been rendered obsolete by NICS, we are right to suspect the motive as to why they persist.

Simply put, they are administrative obstacles to the people's exercise of their RKBA, and they persist because they serve those state's institutionalized biases.
 
My wife has her's, she shoots too but, if your wife didn't have one and you took a dirt nap she might have a hard time selling your weapons, especially if it was to a gun store. Heck, she'd be in violation of the law by just having them in her home without a FOID card.
 
The reason IL has the FOID is they can yank it at any time for any reason. Governor Blago had to surrender his FOID when he was arrested. Not charged, not convicted -- arrested. I presume IL would pull his card if he was summonsed instead of arrested. I'm guessing he doesn't have it back. Unlike a concealed firearms permit, the FOID is needed for ANY guns, anywhere. Now he can't have any.

The reason YOU have a FOID is you have not yet escaped IL.

Avoid the FOID!
 
The FOID was originally supported by gun owners as an alternative to a proposal for a background check and 30-day waiting period on every gun and ammunition purchase.

Of course it, and similar laws in other states, have been superceded by the Brady Law, but states are reluctant to give up any power once they have it, even if it serves no purpose (and if it brings in revenue).

Jim
 
even if it serves no purpose (and if it brings in revenue).
Click to expand...

At $10 per application (for 5 years), I don't know how they make money on it. Maybe they do it, though.

I wonder how many active cards there are. il.gov gets $2 per year for each one.
 
So what are your thoughts on the reasons for FOID cards? Thanks.
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Because you live in a repressive anti-Constitution oriented state, as evidenced by the fine Governors actions lately.

I know we try to steer clear of state bashing here but seriously, it's Illinois, what did you expect?

There is no "reason" for the FOID cards other than your statement; it's just to make one more hoop to try to deter people from exercising a right.

And the voters continue to allow it, so it must be popular.
 
Like others have said MOST of the state outside of Chicago is pro gun and for ccw. It all comes down to we that do not reside in "the city" don't have enough in population to give Chicago and it's ilk the boot in the a$$ it so much needs.

King Richard runs the biggest nanny "state" city in all of the union. He keeps giving away all he can to keep his throne till the point he and Blogo has bankrupted the state and city. If it weren't for the Chicago machine we would of had ccw many years ago.

Btw, the foid card is $1 a year so it can't be for the revenue.
 
Duke of Doubt said:
The reason IL has the FOID is they can yank it at any time for any reason. Governor Blago had to surrender his FOID when he was arrested. Not charged, not convicted -- arrested.
Click to expand...

Can you name any other Constitutional right you must give up if you are arrested?

THE STATE OF ILLINOIS IS BREAKING THE LAW!
 
The state of Illinois sucks.

How badly?

Well, besides no class III and cans, they have a unique way of defining "firearm".

Anything bigger than .177 caliber OR anything that fires a projectile over something like 600 or 750fps.

So, your pellet gun could get you a felony if it was loaded in the back seat or the ammo was handy and it was uncased.

John


Oh: It gets better.

The IL State Police are supposed to process FOID apps in less than 30 days, per statute.

The message on their answering machine as of last week or so said they were looking at a 56-day backlog and if your app hadn't been submitted for at least that long, please don't call back.

Nobody over there gets locked up...
 
Why are they necessary if you have to have a background check performed when purchasing a gun in the first place?
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So the Illinois State Police will know where to go to collect the guns when the Chicago politicians finally get them banned! :cuss::banghead:
 
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