FOID Identity Temporarily Protected

By Sean Stillmaker in News on Mar 12, 2011 5:40PM

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan wanted the names of every Illinois resident owning a gun. Her request got shot down Friday by the Illinois State Rifle Association, which was successful in securing a temporary restraining order against the release of personal information belonging to persons holding Illinois Firearm Owner Identification Cards.

“We are confident that we will eventually secure a permanent injunction against the release of FOID data,” said Richard Pearson, ISRA executive director, after Judge Scott Shore of the 10th Judicial District in Peoria County made his decision yesterday. A preliminary injunction for the case will be heard on March 15. The news comes in the wake of Illinois Gun Owners Lobby Day. An estimated crowd of 1,500 people were down in Springfield Thursday expressing their opinion of the second amendment.

The office in Springfield that processes FOID card applications said the past three years have been the busiest in the bureau’s 44 years, the State Journal Register reported. In an average year 230,000 applications are received, but in 2009 there were 326,000. Madigan wants all the names and addresses of these firearm owners.

Meanwhile Illinois’ Firearm Concealed Carry bill moved a little farther in the state legislature. The bill was placed on the calendar for a short debate with 38 state representative sponsors. If passed, the law will allow FOID card owners over 21 that completed classroom and range training to carry a concealed firearm. Illinois and Wisconsin are the only two states that directly prohibit concealed firearms.