FOID (firearms)

FOID is an acronym for Firearm Owners Identification. To legally possess or purchase firearms or ammunition, residents of the state of Illinois are required to have a FOID card. [http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=1657&ChapAct=430%26nbsp%3BILCS%26nbsp%3B65%2F&ChapterID=39&ChapterName=PUBLIC%2BSAFETY&ActName=Firearm%2BOwners%2BIdentification%2BCard%2BAct%2E Illinois General Assembly — 430 ILCS 65 — Firearm Owners Identification Card Act] ] (The term is alternatively pronounced "a foid card" or "an F.O.I.D. card".) The law has been in effect since 1968.cite web
url=http://www.southernillinoisan.com/articles/2006/02/23/top/10004838.txt
title=Lawmakers send message on FOID backlog
last=Adrian
first=Matt
date=2006-02-23
accessdate=2008-09-22
work=The Southern
publisher=Lee Enterprises]

The FOID card is issued by the Illinois State Police, who first perform a check of the applicant on the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), an electronic database maintained by the FBI. Grounds for disqualification include a conviction for a felony or for an act of domestic violence, a conviction for assault or battery within the last five years, or being the subject of an order of protection. The police also check an Illinois Department of Human Services database, to disqualify any applicant who has been adjudicated as a mental defective, or who has been a patient of a mental institution within the last five years. [http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/fulltext.asp?Name=095-0581 Illinois General Assembly — Public Act 095-0581] ] Mental health professionals are required to inform state authorities about patients who display violent, suicidal or threatening behavior, for inclusion in the Human Services database. [ [http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=4307545 Tarm, Michael. "Illinois' New Gun Law Under Scrutiny", ABC News, February 19, 2008] ] The police may also check other sources of information. There are additional requirements for applicants under the age of 21. [ [http://www.isp.state.il.us/foid/ Illinois State Police — Firearm Owner's Identification Information] ]

A FOID card legally must be granted within 30 days from the date the application is received, unless the applicant does not qualify. However, by January 2006, the backlog had increased and the State Police were taking as long as 50 days, in violation of the law, to issue or deny the FOID. Cards issued from June 1, 2008 on are valid for ten years; cards issued prior to June 1, 2008 are valid for five years. The FOID card will be revoked before its expiration if the individual becomes disqualified as described above.

Illinois law requires that, when a firearm is sold by a Federal Firearms License (FFL) holder or at a gun show, the seller perform a dial-up inquiry to the State Police to verify that the buyer's FOID card is valid. At the time of the inquiry, the police perform an automated search of several criminal and mental health databases, including the federal NICS database. This additional check is known as the Firearm Transfer Inquiry Program (FTIP). [ [http://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/admincode/020/02001235sections.html Illinois Administrative Code Part 1235 — Firearm Transfer Inquiry Program] ] [ [http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/fulltext.asp?Name=094-0353 Illinois General Assembly — Public Act 094-0353] , amending the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act to require FTIP checks at gun shows, effective July 29, 2005]

ee also

*Gun laws in the United States (by state)

Notes