Illinois State Police say they’ve made progress on reducing the FOID renewal backlog
State police say they have made progress on reducing a backlog of gun ownership renewal applications in Illinois.
FOID — or firearm owners identification — card applications skyrocketed 167% from 2017 to 2020, overwhelming an aging bureaucratic system. The number of FOID card holders increased from 1.2 million in 2010 to 2.2 million in 2020.
As of Monday, the renewal backlog was down to 7,800 from 138,722 in November 2020, according to state police. The agency was processing renewal applications in 38 days. They have 60 days to approve or deny them.
State police updated the FOID renewal process and hired additional staff, helping reduce the backlog.
“We continue to improve our workflow and these updated numbers show we are definitely headed in the right direction,” Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly said in a prepared statement.
The agency didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on how many pending new applications remain in the backlog. New applications must be either approved or denied within 30 days.
Illinois’ FOID law first went into effect in 1968 and requires residents to obtain an identification card from state police before they can legally own guns or ammunition. State police can deny a card to people convicted of felonies or violent offenses such as domestic violence, assault or battery.
Gun-rights advocates would like to see the law eliminated altogether, arguing in lawsuits that FOID violates the Second Amendment.
The state Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments in the case of Vivian Brown, an Illinois woman who challenged the law after she was charged in 2017 with owning an unlicensed rifle. She was eligible and required to have a FOID card at the time but didn’t.
