by DCG
According to MyFoxChicago, two gun rights groups are suing the Illinois State Police for not promptly renewing firearm owners’ identification cards.
The groups suing are the Illinois State Rifle Association and the Second Amendment Foundation. They filed on behalf of two men who have been waiting for their identification cards and concealed carry licenses since 2017.
From their report:
“The groups said the state police transferred nearly $30 million from funds used for the administration of the cards, background checks and concealed carry licenses into other accounts, which has caused the application and appeals process to slow and come to a halt.
Attorney David Sigale said he tried working with the police to move along the process, but he was left with no other option but to sue. “We’re just going to sit on your license application, your FOID appeal, your renewal, we’re just going to sit on it and passively deny people’s rights, and that’s what’s happening here,” Sigale said.
But Illinois State Police said in a statement that it does not have the authority to sweep funds. “In 2015 and 2018, $13.2 million was swept from the Firearms Service Fund into the general fund during the budget crisis,” ISP said. “Under the current fiscal year, funds have not been swept, allowing the Firearms Services Bureau to start filling 17 analyst vacancies, procure technology to offer better customer service and to begin building a new Appeals Bureau.”
The agency also has no deadline to respond to appeals and has been known to take months or years to issue a decision, according to the documents.
In a statement, Illinois State Police spokeswoman Beth Hundsdorfer said that last year, 90 percent of applicants saw their paperwork processed in less than 30 days. She said it took an average of 65 days to renew a FOID card in 2019.”
The kicker? The men said they usually carry a handgun for self-defense but do not anymore because they fear prosecution for possessing a firearm without a license.
Meanwhile, criminals aren’t waiting for their ID cards: “Convicted felon charged in shooting of Chicago firefighter in Albany Park.”
DCG