Cook County has organized an effort to take guns from individuals whose FOID cards (Firearm Owner ID) have become invalid for a host of reasons.
Keep in mind that if these same people lived across the state line in Indiana, many would be legally eligible to retain their property. But not in Cook County, IL.
Here’s the story from FoxNews.
An Illinois sheriff’s team is crisscrossing the Chicago suburbs in an effort to seize guns from thousands of people whose right to own a firearm has been revoked, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
According to the paper, more than 3,000 people in Cook County have failed to surrender their revoked Firearm Owners Identification Card, or FOID, which is required to legally buy guns or ammunition.
Sheriff Tom Dart said he thinks many of the 3,000 continue to possess firearms.
“The system is broken.”
– Sheriff Tom Dart
The Chicago Police Department regularly conducts missions to recover revoked FOID cards and take guns from the owners, but there wasn’t a big push to do the same thing in the suburbs until now, Dart reportedly told the paper.
“The system is broken,” the sheriff said. “The system revokes cards, but the guns are of no consequence. . . . Our strong hope is that we will eliminate tragedies.”
FOID cards are meant to protect the public from gun owners who suffer from mental illness; felonies and protection orders also are grounds for the state to revoke the holders’ FOID cards. It’s illegal to buy guns or ammunition without one, the Sun-Times reports.
It might be meant for that, but in reality it is merely an obstacle to exercising Second Amendment rights, just as poll taxes were an obstacle to individuals exercising their franchise rights.
Can’t wait for the first lawsuits to start.
“The system is broken,” the sheriff said. “ The part that is broken is the foid card its self. The state police don’t process your renewal on time then you do not have a valid foid, so they can take your guns. I have spent a lot of money trying to get my foid back. About 18 years ago my now ex wife accused me of domestic battery. It was dropped before it ever went to court. Since then I have renewed it with no trouble until a year ago last may. It was refused because of being charged with domestic battery. To date my attorney has not been able to get it back. This is just one example of how the Illinois gun haters are using the state police to get their way.