Democratic State Senator Julie Morrison is optimistic about the passage of a bill that would reform how the state handles Firearm Owner Identification Cards.
The "Fix the FOID Act"would modify how the state issues and enforces the rules around FOID cards. Changes include requiring a renewal of FOID cards every five years and having residents submit their fingerprints when applying for a card. Morrison says the bill isn’t finalized in the House, but hopes to bring it up to a vote this week.
“The House sponsor has been negotiating several of the finer points and putting it in final form, and I believe that I will have all the votes necessary in the Senate to pass it when it gets here,” she said.
Morrison also says the governor supports the underlying issues.
“He has been an ardent supporter of gun safety measures and I believe if it’s a reasonable bill, he’ll sign it,” she said.
The bill was put together as a response to incidents such as the February shooting at the Henry Pratt building in Aurora, Illinois. The shooter had received a FOID card in January 2014 despite having a conviction that would have caused him to fail the background check. Police also didn’t confiscate his firearms when his FOID card was revoked two months later.
