There’s more to come as ISP has told us they have several ongoing investigations.
UPDATE: Without getting too much into it, Jordan Zoot was “revoked” because of a medical-related FOID-card suspension/revocation, not because of improperly conducted courses.
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois State Police (ISP) announced today that another firearms instructor from Bolingbrook is no longer approved to instruct Illinois Concealed Carry Curricula, and 327 applicants trained by the instructor will receive notification that their application has been denied due to improper training.
Since January, ISP has investigated numerous complaints from the public alleging that firearms instructors were improperly training and /or awarding certificates to students who had not completed the required 16 hours of training required by law. The Firearms Concealed Carry Act (430 ILCS 66/75) states that firearms instructors are required to teach all applicants, who are not eligible for prior training credit, a minimum of 16 hours of curriculum approved by the Illinois State Police prior to receiving an Illinois Concealed Carry License Training Certificate.
After conducting numerous interviews and reviewing records, ISP investigators have confirmed that the training was not conducted in accordance with the law, and are in the process of providing investigative findings to the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office.
“The public expects firearms instructors to provide a thorough understanding and solid foundation of the curriculum and practical training that meets all qualifications of the law,” said ISP Director Hiram Grau. “When these instructors fall short, safety is compromised and the integrity of the training process raises concerns,” he stressed.
The ISP is notifying the applicants that their training is invalid and their applications will be denied. The applicants will have the opportunity to become re-trained without incurring the $150.00 application fee, and will be allowed to appeal the denial by submitting a written petition through the ISP’s administrative review process.
Once the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office has reviewed the ISP’s investigative findings, prosecutors will work with the ISP to determine if sanctions against the firearms instructors are appropriate.
A list of more than 2700 certified firearms instructors can be found on the ISP Concealed Carry website, and any instructor who is no longer approved will be eliminated from the approved list.
These investigations remain on-going and the public is encouraged to file complaints. To date, 13 firearms instructors are no longer approved to teach Illinois Concealed Carry Curricula, and 425 applicants have been notified of the invalid training. Beginning today, the ISP will be posting the names of the unapproved instructors on the Concealed Carry website under the firearms instructor section.
Integrity is an important part of the Concealed Carry License process and the Illinois State Police is committed to ensuring the guidelines and criteria are met under the law. The ISP strongly urges applicants to review the rules governing the firearms training requirements, ask questions and demand credentials from the certified firearms instructor they are considering.
The public can report abuses by completing the complaint form on the ISP Concealed Carry website at: http://www.isp.state.il.us/, or by calling (217) 782-7980.