From ISRA, via Days of Our Trailers:
Over the past several weeks, the ISRA has received several dozen phone calls from irate firearm owners who have been waiting a month or more to have their applications for Firearm Owner Identification (FOID) cards processed by the Illinois State Police.Since state law requires FOID card issuance to qualified applicants within 30 days of applying, their excuses are not acceptable. Try owning a gun in Illinois without a FOID, and when charged for that "crime," stating that you didn't apply for a FOID because you were too busy and didn't have the money--how well do you suppose that would work?
After making inquiries into the backlog, ISRA representatives were told by ISP officials that inadequate staffing and funding were to blame for the slowdown in application processing. Those same officials were unable to say when, if ever, the situation would improve.
The Days of our Trailers post has more detail, so be sure to check it out, because I'm going to talk about something else.
That "something else" is the fact that this isn't the first time (with more here) that the Illinois State Police have simply ignored the laws dealing with FOID card issuance when it suited them (and just don't even get me started about the twisted, unconstitutional evil of the FOID card requirement in the first place). Back in 2007, they, with absolutely no authority to do so, decided they would stop issuing FOIDs to minors under 10 years of age. Keep in mind that even with a FOID, 10-year-olds (or 17-year-olds, for that matter) are prohibited by federal law from buying guns or ammunition, so it's a mystery what the ISP hoped to accomplish with this new restriction.
If those sworn to uphold the law refuse even to be bound by laws, what reason have we to comply with their dictates?
Update: Click here for a recording (MP3 file) of the ISP's recorded message to callers.
Stumble it!
5 comments:
I'm with you on the frustration, have been waiting 5 weeks now for a CCP from state of Washington, a will issue state.
I suspect part of the problem is the huge increase in volume the clerks face processing all the requests. I'm sure many of the ordinary folks handling the actual work are like thinkers, and are dismayed just as much as we are.
Hang in there.
No excuse.
Within minutes if it's an interactive query, certainly within hours if it's a batch process, they can determine if you have any adverse information on your record that would disqualify you as a prohibited possessor.
Perhaps it's the queries to the campaign contribution databases that take so much time.
We have a similar law here in PRNJ and the courts have consistently sided with the state. So even though there is a 30 requirement in the statute for FID cards, the courts ruled that since the state relies on the FBI (an outside source), they can't actually be held to the 30 day requirement in the law.
Or to put it more bluntly, they operate above the law when it comes to violating the rights of the citizens.
Good luck people of IL, we share your pain!
Yeah--you guys in NJ might have it even worse than we do here in IL.
Keep fighting.
That's just wonderful. What a way to violate a right: pretend there isn't enough money for some minor budget item. Disgusting to even contemplate a comparison with something so trivial as plastic card.
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