FREEPORT (WREX) � An Illinois lawmaker has filed a bill to repeal the Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) Card Act.
Rep. Andrew Chesney (R), of Freeport, announced he filed House Bill 1770 on Tuesday.
Rep. Chesney says Illinois is currently only one of four states which requires residents pay the State to obtain permission to exercise their Constitutional right to bear arms.
Chesney’s bill proposes to eliminate the law which requires the possession of a valid FOID card to legally possess or purchase firearms or ammunition in the state.
“This is one of many ways Illinois has monetized the exercise of Constitutional rights with unnecessary bureaucracy and red-tape,� said Chesney. “With a backlog of, often, over 100,000 Illinoisans waiting in line for a bureaucrat to approve this Constitutional right after already requiring payment for this right, it is past time we get real about the lack of need for this bureaucracy. Imagine if to hold a protest in a public park, a First Amendment Right, you had to wait over 100 days for a permit you pay for on day one of the application. People would be rightfully outraged. That’s what’s happening with FOID cards.�
This is Chesney’s second attempt at banning the FOID, having previously been a co-sponsor of legislation sponsored by then Representative John Cabello in the 101st General Assembly.
