Though most people don’t know it, the Illinois State Police (ISP) now make house calls. However, they aren’t coming to welcome new neighbors or bring good cheer. Instead, they’re coming to confiscate the firearms from those with revoked Firearms Owners ID cards. While few would argue the merits of grabbing guns out of the hands of convicted violent felons, the ISP revokes FOID cards often without due process.
This past week, the ISP put out a press release about “compliance checks,” an almost Orwellian description of gun confiscation details.
The Belleville News-Democrat shared the press release:
Illinois State Police announced Wednesday that it has forced nearly 300 people in southern Illinois to give up ownership of their firearms after they had their firearms rights revoked.
As part of a “firearms enforcement blitz” from June 16 to July 31 in 41 southern Illinois counties, including St. Clair, Madison, Monroe, Clinton and Randolph counties, state police officers performed 710 “compliance checks,” which resulted in 295 people being “placed into compliance” with the state’s Firearms Owners Identification Card, or FOID card, law.
The local newspaper reported the ISP press release verbatim without bothering to investigate how some of those folks had their FOID cards “revoked.” Hint: It’s done without due process and on a regular basis.
Interestingly, it seems as though over half of the “compliance checks” were met with bad addresses, individuals not home, or people declining to participate. Some may have told the troopers to come back with a warrant.
Here’s the actual press release (as a .pdf) announcing the “enforcement blitz” . . .
To their credit, for those who haven’t been convicted of any felonies, the Illinois State Police will generally try to help the revoked person re-home the firearms with a friend or family member with a valid FOID card.
In my capacity with Guns Save Life I asked about ISP details grabbing up guns from those revoked or expired. Or, in the case of a minor child who becomes revoked, potentially all guns accessible to the minor. Because as gun owners in Illinois, we’ve all heard horror stories. The ISP sent me this official response . . .
The Illinois State Police works to ensure individuals are in compliance with the FOID Act and other applicable possession of firearm laws for those who have had their firearm right revoked. ISP is not conducting “gun confiscation visits.” With the responsibility of protecting the public’s safety, ISP focuses enforcement details on revocation for those individuals who pose a significant threat to themselves or others; not expiration. Enforcement visits are determined on a case by cases basis. If there is no evidence of a significant public safety risk (violent felony indictment, specific serious threats, etc.), officers work to make these productive and consensual visits. The majority of the time we can help place people into compliance without criminal charges or other action.
We do this by ensuring the individual’s FOID card has been turned into the proper law enforcement authority and by ensuring any firearms in their possession have been temporarily turned over to someone with a FOID card who can legally possess them until the individual in question has had their firearm rights restored. If an individual does not have anyone to whom they can legally turn over their firearms, the law enforcement agency will have to take temporary custody of the firearms. While ISP can take possession, we prefer to help facilitate a transfer to someone who can legally possess the firearms.
If there is an individual with a valid FOID card in the same dwelling as someone who has had their firearms rights revoked, it is the responsibility of the other firearm owners who have firearms, not to allow a prohibited person to gain possession of their firearms. There is nothing in statute that allows law enforcement to seize a mother or father’s firearms or ammunition if a sponsored minor losses their firearm rights and the parents have their firearms rights. It is the responsibility of the parent/responsible gun owner to ensure the prohibited minor does not gain possession of the firearms.
So there you have it.
But back to the revocation issue, sans due process. From MSN.com . . .
Illinois State Police on Monday submitted an emergency rule to allow for broader use of “clear and present danger” reports — aimed at barring applicants from receiving a firearm owner’s identification card or revoking a current card for those who exhibit violent or suicidal behavior.
It’s an effort by Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois State Police to close a loophole two weeks after Robert E. Crimo III was charged with killing seven people at the Fourth of July Highland Park parade.
Crimo was able to get a FOID card and buy multiple guns, despite two separate 2019 incidents in which he allegedly threatened to harm himself and his family. After the suspect was charged, State Police director Brendan Kelly said there had been “insufficient basis” to deny Crimo’s request for a FOID card — with family members denying his threats and no domestic violence order or court order restraining him from having a gun.
Deemed a “first step” by gun control advocates, the new emergency rule is designed to allow State Police to consider a larger range of information in the definition of clear and present danger and clarify the agency’s authority to use the reports.
How has this worked out? Let me share an example from the Chief Deputy Sheriff of a Central Illinois county.
About four-plus years ago, a man who worked as a security contractor for the US Government began packing his bags after an argument with his wife. She noticed him wearing his carry gun and called 911 to say that he threatened her with it prior to him leaving.
Of course, the ISP revoked both his carry license and his FOID card based upon the arrest and the “Clear and Present Danger” report. The man was also suspended from his job.
A few weeks later, the local state’s attorney determined the allegation to be unfounded and dismissed the case. Despite dropping the charges, it took the man two years of jumping through hoops and spending thousands of dollars to get his firearms rights restored so he could return to work.
Fast forward two years to present day. The ISP just revoked the same man over the same four-year-old “Clear and Present Danger Report.” Why? They wanted to “re-investigate” the matter and revoked both his carry license and his FOID once again while they revisit the matter.
How is that even remotely fair, just, or equitable?
It’s not.
Plenty more folks have had their rights revoked because of an acute mental health crisis, some resulting from adverse reactions to medications, have also reported having the FOID cards and carry license revoked over issues already resolved at great expense. And in at least one other case, a reformed felon who litigated – at great expense – to have his gun rights restored under Illinois law was again revoked pending yet another review of his case.
That’s why Guns Save Life filed suit in 2019 to challenge the FOID Act’s constitutionality. Yes, courts move at a glacial pace, but we filed for a summary judgement after the Bruen decision. Final briefs are due to the circuit court in November.
Stay tuned.
One thing’s for sure, when (not if) the FOID Act is ruled unconstitutional, there won’t be enough marijuana on the shelves of Land of Lincoln dispensaries to help the gun-haters cope with the loss.
“Baby steps”! Wonder how many of these confiscation will turn out to be “computer glitches” or “miscommunications”, etc……
WHY give ISP credit Boch?!? The FOID has been ruled unconstitutional! Indiana here we come. Have fun “fixing” the un-fixable ILLANNOY…
(Not “aimed” at you, FWW): When genuine fascists came to power, wise ‘enemies of the state’ saw the writing on the wall, and left. Those who preferred to rationalize risk, stayed in place awaiting their doom.
When the party gets out of control, it’s time to leave.
The Illinois higher court kicked the unconstitutional ruling for the FOID back down again with restriction on what the deciding judge could do. They basically said don’t decide on the FOID as unconstitutional. Someone will have to take Illinois to federal court for anything to happen to remove the FOID for it to go away.
The gun is the one center of attention while Gun Control and its history confirmed and obvious roots in racism and genocide skate on by without receiving so much as a scratch.
And who exactly is responsible for allowing that sht to continue? Not I says I.
when is someone going to do something about this farcial system they have in Illinois?…completely out of line with the rest of the country….
Are they confiscating cars, or even the keys, from people with a revoked driver license?
Not confiscating cars/keys…….just re-homing them.
Oh yeah. I’m just getting up to speed on the latest euphemisms.
Wake up and smell the coffee. The shooting is in Chicago, they are taking guns in southern il. People in southern il are mostly Christian conservatives. Not very effective if you are trying to stop killing in Chicago. Very effective if you are trying to subject citizens to communism or new world order. Ain’t just gonna be white people replaced.
‘ Ain’t just gonna be white people replaced. ‘
Who will be left the left wants to replace?
Every hard working citizen who wants to make his own way. Everyone who confesses JESUS CHRIST as lord and savior. All the lbgtq who say Christians are bigots would do well to understand that is a capital offense for Muslims and communists.
You think Muslims and commies care what LGBTQ say about Christians?
What a dope.
I think his point is that as LGBTQ make accusations about Christians, but they ignore that Muslim countries happily execute them.
The Communist countries that discriminate against them aren’t because of political ideology. They are undemocratic and aren’t responsive to the rights of their subjects. They aren’t opposed to LGBTQ, but they will use it as an excuse to arrest and suppress their critics. Prior to the revolution, they will generally support LGBTQ groups to create division and chaos.
a lot safer for the cops, though…remember when Trump sent some ATF agents into Chicago…that didn’t last long….
All individuals should ask for a warrant. No warrant, no entry into the home. Forced entry treat as Make My Day or Castle Domain according to state laws. After invoking a few perhaps they will start adhering to the Constitution.
“Re-home” the firearm. Sounds like your social worker tax dollars at their finest. Probably not going to incarcerate anyone, but going forward will “re-home” those home boys.
Thank you Lord and ISP for those FOID cards. Would feel so unsafe without those. Gang bangers, drug cartels, etc don’t bother me. It’s those law abiding citizens without proper FOID cards that keep me awake at night.
Thought ILL FOID was ruled unconstitutional some time ago???
Went to Barrett in TN coupe weeks ago for training. Drove all the way around Illinois just to not be in ISP jurisdiction, give ILL any fuel/food money.
Well, much like wayward children and stray pets, firearms have minds of their own, and rehire close supervision at all times.
Otherwise they might jump up, walk away, and shoot somebody.
There should not be a ‘FOID card’ thing in the first place.
Firearm rights activists are working on it, to be fair.
Those who wish to help finance legal help can contact the author of this article, Mr. Bosch…
Was just about to say looking like FOID and similar license to own cards may be up for court argument soon.
There was already an Illinois ruling in our favor on that, I hope Bosch can comment on how that currently stands…
would hope so…that system is so far from the norm….
Cm’on, “there won’t be enough marijuana on the shelves of Land of Lincoln dispensaries to help the gun-haters cope with the loss”?
While I haven’t smoked any of the weed since the 80s, I really don’t hate it for others. Many people are pro marijuana and also pro gun. The 2 issues have nothing to do with each other.
{Firearms and ‘weed’}
“The 2 issues have nothing to do with each other.”
At the Federal level, they unfortunately absolutely do have to do with each other, and not in a way beneficial to a firearm owner… 🙁
Not inherently. They only have anything to do with each other because the same federal government that deemed shoe strings to be machine guns, also decided that weed is worse than meth.
That’s not hyperbole on my part either, marijuana is federally classified as a Schedule 1 controlled substance, indicating that it’s among the very worst. Methamphetamine is classified Schedule 2, ostensibly a step below in terms of severity.
Because as we all know, stoners are far more violent than tweakers *facepalm*
Just don’t get high when shot or something like that.
In 2016, when I was a California resident and then-Lt.Gov. Gavin Newsom was campaigning hard for (1) the Governor’s office, (2) Proposition 63 (criminalize more gun stuff), and (3) Proposition 64 (legalize marijuana), his campaign held a Facebook Town Hall. I asked whether, presuming Prop. 64 passed, he would work with the DEA to remove marijuana from the federal Schedule I of controlled substances, and therefore also from the ATF’s Form 4473 question 21(e).
He ignored my question.
ISP should make sure all governments within the state are in compliance with the Constitution. Otherwise their function regarding firearms is illegal and dangerous.
I thought door to door confiscations would never happen.
A sarcasm font is so need!
Don’t worry we get it….
I like how police can revoke “gun rights”.
All they can actually accomplish is to revoke “gun permission slips”, until a criminal conviction can be obtained.
“Compliance” or submission? How come the Illinois State Police doesn’t conduct these checks in Chicago? The gun grabbers are going absolutely hog-wild with Biden and Merrick in Washington. The visceral hatred from these people is thicker than Nicki Minaj. If the police don’t have a warrant tell them to leave, make no other statements and consult with your attorney.
So basically you can have a constitutionality protected right revoked without actually be committing a crime in Illinois.
If you applied the same logic to say voting, for instance incorrect address on registration then I’m sure the DOJ would be all over that like white on rice to slap the state police with violations of rights and lawsuit’s.
Mark me down as one of “the few” that think that your 2nd amendment rights should not be stripped simply because you’ve been convicted of a crime.
and no…I’ve never been accused let alone convicted of anything. It just seems to me that, at completion of sentence, you should not be a second class citizen.
X2
SCotUS Justice Amy Coney-Barrett agrees with you both, and the Court may elect to grant Cert. on such a case in the future.
It will be interesting to hear what 2A cases the High court elects to hear in the next few years.
Personally, I’d like gun registration challenges to be heard ASAP. The government has zero need to know what guns we own. The very fact that they may not have such a list should help quell any fascist tendencies they may wish to explore… 🙁
Agreed. Especially since the government, by definition, decides what constitutes a felony. Seems a little silly to me to claim that the very same government the 2A was written to allow us to violently overthrow can *also* legitimately decide who can and cannot own weapons. Also it frames the whole thing as a privilege granted by the state rather than a right, i.e. it only applies to you as long as they don’t decide to arbitrarily label something you do as a felony. It’s scary how many supposedly small government, pro gun types don’t seem to understand that
I notice they aren’t in Chicago taking any guns from those “non permit holders” 😂
Gotta go where it’s safe to do so
I’ve said it for years. Off the books guns in an off site storage site. Everybody needs them.
“Off the books guns in an off site storage site.”
Preach it… 🙂
buy as many as you can…any way you can…and hide them everywhere you can…simply don’t allow yourself to be disarmed…do allow them to take a few..[safe?]…just so they can say they actually did something…
–“Compliance checks are not about confiscating guns, but about ensuring individuals who have lost their firearms rights to transfer their firearms to law enforcement or someone who is legally able to possess them,” Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly said–
How much clearer could he be?
transferring to LE?…kiss those goodbye….
“Kelly said there are about 2.4 million people with FOID cards in Illinois and that the state revoked about 20,000 cards in 2021.”
In just one year, they revoked 1 out of every 120 cards.
This will do zero to prevent any violent gun crimes. If due process is being followed then OK but reports are it is not as far as any confiscation. Violent criminals ingnore the law anyway and the chances of them ever applyiing for a FOID card in the first place in illinois is slim to none with slim having left town.
Someone who wishes to use a gun during a violent crime who has had their FOID card revoked will simply get one by illegal means.
The bigger problem by far is violent out of control crime in Crook County due to the Soros financed DA Kim Foxx and her “hug a thug” mentality and social justice warrior priorities.
Kim Foxx was the DA that tried to shield fake hate crime hoaxster Jusse Smollet from any prosecution.
That’s what happens when you register a Right.
The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.
But muh Thin Blue Line! Cops will refuse to follow unconstitutional orders hurr durr
My question is “how many of these FOID card revocations are for those who obtained marijuana cards?”. The doobie smokers among the populace whom own firearms are in for a rude awakening well that is unless they’re Hunter Biden.
resulted in 295 people being “placed into compliance”
We ARE talking about a bunch of gangbangers and NOT some poor fuck that FORGOT to renew his PERMISSION slip right??
remember
the destroy the criminal records
and then those that are still of the criminal mindset can go legally and purchase weapons
then they use those weapons to commit crimes
law enforcement /msm state this person never had criminal record ( cause the state destroyed it)
then the left says
see, we went along with these legal purchases but now we see that even legally purchased weapons by non criminals leads to senseless gun violence
we now must change these laws even further
the left is a trickey mooofooo
IS THIS ABOUT TAKEN GUNS WAY FROM FELONS , THEN OK BY ME ..
Sounds like a MASSIVE Expensive LAWSUIT, and VOTING TYRANTS out of OFFICE (ESPECIALLY those who TRAMPLE on our CONSTITIONAL Rights) would FIX this Problem . . . Remember, Politicians LOVE to keep being VOTED in Office. One Enlightened Patriot.
NYC “Party Boy” mayor just announced a similar program to “ENSURE” that concealed carry holders are fit to keep their permits. Says cops will be knocking on doors of “LEGAL” firearm owners. Too bad they lack the balls to go after the gangsters with the same enthusiasm.
Headlines: Illinois State Police confiscate guns in ‘Southern Illinois’. That’s code speak for predominantly Republican/Trump supporters. Why not spend taxpayers money in ‘Northern Illinois’ (Chicago) going after gang-bangers who are the ones that are doing all the ‘gun violence’? If ‘public safety’ is so important, why not concentrate efforts in areas where ‘gun crimes’ are the highest? Compare the stats of per capita shootings in the Chicago area vs. the rest of Illinois. All show. All politics.
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