Hearing for Unes Sponsored FOID Card Renewal Bill
By: Bob Larson
Updated: March 5, 2013
A bill, sponsored by East Peoria State Representative Mike Unes to make it easier for citizens to
renew their FOID card, will be the subject of a legislative committee hearing Wednesday.
Unes says the bill addresses a problem law abiding firearm owners have been experiencing for the past several years. Illinois law requires FOID card holders to renew their card every ten years and the process is suppose to take only 30 days. However, because of a high volume of renewals, firearm owners have complained it often takes much longer for their card to be renewed and restricts the amount of hunting they can do. Unes' bill doesn't allow FOID card holders to purchase new firearms or ammunition until the renewed card arrives, but does allow them to continue hunting and legally possessing firearms during that time. If a FOID card holder did commit a precluding offense since their last renewal, they could still be held liable for invalid FOID, providing adequate leeway for pprosecutors to go after non law abiding gun owners.
renew their FOID card, will be the subject of a legislative committee hearing Wednesday.
Unes says the bill addresses a problem law abiding firearm owners have been experiencing for the past several years. Illinois law requires FOID card holders to renew their card every ten years and the process is suppose to take only 30 days. However, because of a high volume of renewals, firearm owners have complained it often takes much longer for their card to be renewed and restricts the amount of hunting they can do. Unes' bill doesn't allow FOID card holders to purchase new firearms or ammunition until the renewed card arrives, but does allow them to continue hunting and legally possessing firearms during that time. If a FOID card holder did commit a precluding offense since their last renewal, they could still be held liable for invalid FOID, providing adequate leeway for pprosecutors to go after non law abiding gun owners.
