Requirements for Obtaining a FOID Card:

• Age: Applicants must be at least 21 years old.
• Background Check: The Illinois State Police will check against the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). Disqualifications include felony convictions, certain misdemeanors, or being subject to an order of protection.
• Application Process: You must submit fingerprints via an online or paper application. A FOID card costs $10 and is valid for ten years.
• Renewal: Since January 1, 2022, a FOID card is typically valid for ten years. If you’ve submitted fingerprints, there’s an automatic renewal process, simplifying the renewal by extending your card’s validity upon a firearm transaction if your background check remains clear. If you don’t buy a firearm, you must renew online. However, the card has no expiration date printed on it, so you’ll need to watch the website to find out when your renewal is due.
• Non-Resident Exemption: An interesting aspect is that non-Illinois residents with a valid firearm permit from their state are exempt from needing a FOID card in Illinois.

Can you carry a gun in Illinois with a FOID card?

You can not carry a gun in Illinois with just a FOID. You must take a 16-hour class and then apply for a concealed carry license (CCL).

“(430 ILCS 65/2) (from Ch. 38, par. 83-2)
(a) (1) No person may acquire or possess any firearm, stun gun, or taser within this State without having in his or her possession a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card previously issued in his or her name by the Illinois State Police under the provisions of this Act.
(2) No person may acquire or possess firearm ammunition within this State without having in his or her possession a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card ……”

FOID Legal Implications and Controversies:

The FOID card requirement has faced legal challenges, with arguments over its infringement on Second Amendment rights. Possessing a firearm or even ammunition without a valid FOID card in Illinois can lead to criminal charges, and most firearm owners argue it’s an unnecessary burden on law-abiding citizens.

The FOID card is unique to Illinois law. An Illinois Circuit Court Judge ruled that the requirement for possessing a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card to possess a gun in the home is unconstitutional, but for now, the state has not changed the law to comply.

None of those arrested live locally, and here’s some information on 16 of them:

Sept – Jalen Littleton 19 Indiana
Sept – Darron Prince 36 Joliet
Sept – Ronald Richardson 34 Chicago
Oct – Cornelius Clark Jr 35 Chicago
Dec – Demarveus Butler 19 Michigan City (same incident)
Dec – Terrance Reed 27 Chicago (same incident)
Dec – Rubin Tart 24 Chicago (same incident)
Dec – Dequan J. Dent Davis 26 Calumet City
April – Leroy Slater 37 Hazel Crest
Feb – Antwan Donete Lee 31 Chicago
Feb – Joshua Ramon Menson 34 Gary
March –  Clarence Lamont Massey Jr. 24 Chicago
March –  Dijon Lane 34 Blue Island
March- Tavell Jackson 44 Maywood
July – Camarion Jai Cobbins 19 Huntsville, Alabama
July – Jeremy Boykins 36 East Chicago, Indiana

The city website lists Naperville, Illinois, as one of the safest cities in the nation.

“In 2022 and 2023, MoneyGeek named Naperville the safest city in America. In 2020, Naperville was ranked No. 1 on SafeWise’s America’s Safest Cities to Raise a Child report, which ranks safety by low property crimes, violent crimes, and the number of sex offenders.”

Illinois has some of the strictest firearm laws in the country, and a Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card is required just to purchase ammunition.

Since none of these people live anywhere close, why pick this spot? Is it that great of a driving range….

A 23-year-old victim, who, in this case, is also an alleged criminal, was attending a party in Decatur, IL, over the weekend.

Someone went up to him and lifted the hoodie he was wearing, then took the handgun he had concealed underneath.

By the time the police got there, the crook who stole the gun was gone. The victim, though, got taken in and charged with unlawful use of a weapon (UUW.)

Sgt. Steve Hagemeyer from the Decatur Police Department said, “He said a man got really close to him, lifted up his hoodie, and grabbed his gun from his waistband, a 9mm semi-automatic with an extended magazine.”

“The man then pointed the gun at everybody and told them to get out of the house. The victim said he didn’t want to be shot with his own gun, so he left on foot and called the police.”

“He is allowed to have a gun, but he does not have a concealed carry card, and he is not allowed to carry a loaded gun around, so he was arrested for the aggravated unlawful use of a weapon based on his admissions.”

In Illinois, you must have a firearms owner’s identification card (FOID) to own a gun and a concealed carry license (CCL) to have it on you.

The state of Illinois has arrested people for owning a gun and not having a FOID. In 2020, police were called to a home because someone heard a gunshot and later arrested the woman living there for having a rifle but not having a FOID card.

She took it to court and won because the court found the FOID card to be an unconstitutional requirement, but it only applies if you are in possession of the gun when you are in your home.