FOID is an acronym for Identification of Firearm Owners . To possess or purchase firearms or ammunition legally, the inhabitants of the state of Illinois are required to have a FOID card. (The term is alternatively pronounced "blank card" or "FOID card".) The law has been in force since 1968, and has been subject to amendments both increased and decreased its scope since its initial adoption in parallel with the federal Gun Control Act of 1968, which itself was seen as a response to several high profile political killings in the 1960s.
The FOID card was issued by the Illinois State Police, who first conducted the examination of the applicant on the Instant Criminal Background Inspection System (NICS), an electronic database maintained by the FBI. The grounds for disqualification include beliefs for crime or for acts of domestic violence, confidence for assault or battery in the last five years, or subject to protection orders. The police also examined the Illinois Department of Humanitarian Service database, to disqualify applicants who have been terminated as mentally disabled, or who have been mental institution patients in the last five years. Mental health professionals are required to notify state authorities of patients displaying violent, suicidal or threatening behavior, to be included in the Human Services database. Police may also check other sources of information. There are additional requirements for applicants under 21 years of age.
Applications for FOID cards can be submitted online. The paper application process is also available.
FOID cards must be legally given within 30 days from the date the application is received, unless the applicant is not eligible. However, in January 2006, the backlog has increased and the State Police took for 50 days, unlawful, to issue or refuse FOID. Until March 2013 the delay was at least 60 days. Cards issued on or after 1 June 2008 are valid for ten years; cards issued before June 1, 2008 are valid for five years. The application fee for the card is ten dollars. The FOID card will be revoked before it expires if the individual is disqualified as described above.
Illinois law requires that, when firearms are sold by Federal Firearms license holder (FFL), or at gun shows, the seller makes a dial-up request to the State Police to verify that the buyer's FOID card is valid. This additional check is known as the Firearm Transfer Request Program (FTIP). At the time of the investigation, police conducted an automated search of some criminal and mental health databases, including federal NICS databases. (Generally, FFLs in all states should request background checks via NICS before selling firearms, but in some non-FFL purchasers with state-issued firearms licenses, for example, permission to carry hidden pistols can purchase weapons fire from FFL without performing point-of-sale NICS checks.) For personal sales not at gun shows, the seller must also verify the buyer's FOID card with the state police, and receive the transfer approval number either through the website or by phone call.
In 2011, in the case of People v. Holmes, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that non-Illinois residents who were allowed to own firearms in their home country were not required to have an Illinois FOID card while possessing firearms or ammunition in Illinois. Video FOID (firearms)
See also
- Legal weapons in Illinois
Maps FOID (firearms)
Note
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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