CHICAGO (WLS) — New legislation introduced late Wednesday afternoon in Springfield would, for the first time, require gun owners to be fingerprinted.
Under the proposal, a Firearm Owners Identification Card would surge in price from $10 to $50 and the duration of the card would be cut in half from ten years to five years.
Northlake Democrat Kathleen Willis is sponsor of the bill and told the ABC7 I-Team that it was filed just before 5pm. Rep. Willis says the money generated by increased FOID fees would completely fund increased enforcement by Illinois State Police and fund grants for a new mental health program in schools.
FOID cards are required for the legal purchase of firearms and ammunition in Illinois.
In an exclusive interview with the ABC7 I-Team, acting state police director Brendan Kelly said that the five-fold increase in FOID fees would fund stepped-up law enforcement efforts to enforce Illinois gun laws.
During the I-Team interview Kelly discussed Illinois’ largely misguided and unsuccessful efforts at revoking FOID cards and tracking down the guns of people not entitled to them.
The $40 spike in cost for a FOID card would be the first increase in more than a decade. Gun cards cost $5 from the time the program began in 1968 until 2008 when the fee was doubled.
There are nearly 2.3 million FOID card holders in Illinois. Attention has been focused on the state’s FOID program after each mass shooting.
