CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Several gun rights groups hope a federal judge breaks the backlog of Firearm Owner's Identification Card requests in Illinois.
Thanks to a backlog in applications, the average wait for a FOID card is 122 days; substantially longer than the 30 days required by law. The Illinois State Police, which processes FOID applications, is blaming staffing issues during the pandemic and a surge in gun purchases in response to the events of 2020 for the backlog.
Jacob Hubert is a senior attorney with the Goldwater Institute, which is suing ISP on behalf of the Illinois State Rifle Association and the Second Amendment Foundation. He said the state violated the 30 day requirement long before the pandemic.
"The state has just ignored that requirement for years, and that violates people's right to due process, in addition to violating their second amendment rights," Hubert said.
"If the state is going to require you to get a license to exercise a constitutional right, due process requires that they do that in a timely manner."
ISP officials have said they supports legislation introduced in Springfield meant to clear the backlog by overhauling the FOID application process.
Related
