Now Z'ha'dum needs a gun safe.

[feren]

Evidently the Illinois State Police didn't find too much fault with how I attached my photograph to that paperwork I filled out back in November of 2006. If you haven't already guessed, the form I was wrestling with was my FOID application. For those who aren't familiar with the state's somewhat draconian laws, Illinois requires that you have to have a Firearm Owner ID card to own or hold firearms/ammunition in this state -- something most other states consider you eligible for assuming you are above the age of 18, are not a felon, have not been convicted of a violent/domestic assault crime, have not been convicted of a drug offense and are not mentally ill. Oh yeah, did I mention that Illinois classifies stun guns ("Tasers") and Mace as firearms? Good times.

For the record, I'm fine with background checks. Hell, I endorse them and think that the NICS check is a Good Thing. I do not believe that something which carries as much responsibility as a firearm should just be given out to any random idiot without a bit of "due diligence" being performed first. If Illinois required a safety training course I'd be perfectly okay with that too, despite having passed such a course 13 years ago in Minnesota. Heck, I'm fine with Chicago banning citizen-owned firearms entirely; while I think it's ridiculous despite its good intentions I don't have to live there. What I do not believe is useful or at all reasonable is a state-wide "ID" program that's nothing but smoke and mirrors, paired with overzealous classifications of non-lethal defense mechanisms in some sort of bid by the state government to assure the constituents that they're "safe." However, despite my objections to the system I am a law-abiding citizen and as such I have followed the rules. Everything I own of a firearm nature (including my compound bow) has been waiting at the farm until I got all the various ducks in a row and had the state and city's blessing.

With that said I've been waiting impatiently since mid-December for any response from the folks down in Springfield as the paperwork claims a response is due "thirty days from the day the application fee is cashed." I had a not-inconsiderable sense of dread that led me to wonder if I had somehow mistakenly thrown the response out as "junk mail", but that was alleviated today when I received an envelope in my mailbox that showed a return address of interest. I admit that seeing ILLINOIS STATE POLICE - ATTN: FOID APPS emblazoned in all caps in the upper left hand window immediately caught my attention. I brought the envelope inside, popped the cap off a beer and sat down at my desk as I prepared to open the envelope. The contents would either be a reason to drink in celebration, or drink in defeat. I cut open the top and pulled out the enclosed letter...

... and drank in celebration. That is to say, my FOID arrived today. The State Police have smiled upon me and approved me to lawfully own firearms in Illinois can finally move my collection of revolvers, pistols, shotguns and rifles down from the farm to Z'ha'dum and Like I said, it's a few days late (two weeks and change) to be considered my Christmas present from the state but I'll take it.

Everything is nothing like it was

Comments

[markvd.livejournal.com]

Yay for finally getting permission to exercise your constitutional rights!

[feren.livejournal.com]

No shit, right?

[silverwind.livejournal.com]

Yeh. :) I should go and get mine taken care of but I'm governmentally paranoid. :P

And although I know they have good reasons for it, and I actually do agree with some, I still wouldn't mind Illinois allowing CCPs. :/

Anyways, congrats on finished paperwork. :)

[feren.livejournal.com]

[I'm governmentally paranoid]

Ditto. One of the biggest things that held me back from submitting my application until this fall was the line of reasoning in the back of my mind that said, "By having this ID they'll know exactly where to come knocking when they finally decide none of the (law-abiding) civilians should be armed." I eventually had to swallow my pride and get past that paranoid or I'd never get to go skeet shooting again.

That isn't to say I wouldn't put it past this state to try and pull something like that. But we all have to make compromises. As for CCPs, that would be really nice and I'd do my qualification for one in a second. But since we've had the FOID act here since 1968 and since stun guns are considered firearms? Yeah, that's totally not going to happen.

[markvd.livejournal.com]

I should get my address updated so that it is up here instead of back on the farm. Granted all my guns are still there but it is nice to use your foid as an alternate ID in cases such as when they take your drivers license away for speeding...

[feren.livejournal.com]

[it is nice to use your foid as an alternate ID]

Do they even consider the FOID legal for that? I got a standard State ID for any "second ID" needs and the clerks I deal with keep denying it saying that I "can't use this, it's the same as your driver's license."

Right, it's the same. Except one lets me drive a motor vehicle and one doesn't, so they're not the same at all now are they?

[when they take your drivers license away for speeding

Orthogonal though it may be to the original post, what you said there sparked off a miniature kvetch on my part: I find this habit Illinois has of taking driver's licenses away for minor infractions to be completely fucking retarded. They're the only state I'm aware of that engages in this practice.

[markvd.livejournal.com]

I've never really had an issue using my foid as an alternate ID. I've bought booze and got in to bars with it quite a few times. Sometimes I get strange looks, but they've never told me no.

Aaand, I HATE the fact they take your ID away with tickets. Then it takes a month to get back. I just bought a bond card so I shouldn't have to do that anymore. I once had my drivers license come back with staple holes in it...

[captain18.livejournal.com]

Dunno if it's still as such, but when I was in high school word on the street the police used the number of staple holes on your DL as a thumbnail of your record.

No holes, you probably got a warning. Looks like a dog chewed it, you're fux0red.

[linnaeus.livejournal.com]

Other states don't hold on to your license when they ticket you? Yay states that aren't Illinois. A week or so ago I was waiting for the guy at the pharmacist counter at Walgreens to finish my background check and get permission from the governor to give me a fucking box of Sudafed when a woman came up, watched the process for a while (seriously, it took nearly ten minutes) and said "Oh no-- I need Sudafed too, and I'm driving on a ticket!" The pharmacist confirmed that she wouldn't be allowed nose clearing goodness without a picture ID, and she asked me if I'd be willing to buy an extra box for her.

If I'd agreed to it, would that have technically have made me a drug mule?

Anyway, congratulations on the FOID. I'd consider looking into one myself, but Chicago's somewhat strict laws on firearm ownership are a small price to pay to live in such a crime-free paradise.

[tinbender.livejournal.com]

They grab your license when you get a ticket? That's retarded. I can understand it if you're going 100 mph or something, but that's nuts. Yet another reason why I'd never live in Illinois.

[yotogi.livejournal.com]

If I'd agreed to it, would that have technically have made me a drug mule?

Only if you had actually stored her box of Sudafed in your rectum.

[roho.livejournal.com]

And although I know they have good reasons for it, and I actually do agree with some, I still wouldn't mind Illinois allowing CCPs. :/

Yeah, I'm in favor of them here, too. You'd think the fact that 48 other states allow concealed carry would be enough to convince them that it doesn't lead to gunfights in the streets, but then, Illinois always does seem to pride itself on being A Little Bit Different ;)

[donaldson.livejournal.com]

I didn't know you had an arsenal. What've you got?

Arsenal? No, just a nice selection.

[feren.livejournal.com]

Some of the highlights are things like a Ruger Blackhawk flattop "three screw" .357 Magnum, a Smith & Wesson Sigma .40 with night sights and Lasermax sight (something courtesy of the MN Correctional System), a Browning BAR Mark II with BOSS and a Remington 1100 Field Special (12 ga). There's various other goodies (for example, my Ruger 10/22) but the ones listed are probably my favorites.

And if roho has any say I'll likely end up with a SIG P220 later this year.

Re: Arsenal? No, just a nice selection.

[roho.livejournal.com]

Oh yes. But not mine! ;)

Re: Arsenal? No, just a nice selection.

[wolfbrotherjoe.livejournal.com]

You, me, and James should go shooting at our local gun shop next time you're in town.

[tarinfirepelt.livejournal.com]

Hey! Does this mean I get to tease you like I did with Fisk and Higgs? :) ;)

Y2K 1
Y2K 2
Y2K 3

Christmas 1
Christmas 2
Christmas 3

[feren.livejournal.com]

[hightensile.livejournal.com]

Well, THAT'S about goddamned time!

Congratulations ^.^

[brianblackberry.livejournal.com]

If it was up to me, I would dissolve the requirement of a FOID card in an instant, in fact I would do away with requiring any license to own firearms nation wide. Ironclad constitutional right in my mind, right up there with the first amendment's free speech, press, and religion.

Besides I rather enjoy the idea of the government not knowing whom among and how many of the citizenry are armed or how many and the type of arms they have, would keep the government a bit more honest. >:)

[doomsey.livejournal.com]

I've been tempted to get a FOID.

Not because I want to have guns around (I'm not too keen on the idea, and I don't even want to think about what my lovely wife would do when she got angry)...

But I do like the idea of the government thinking I'm more dangerous than I actually am. :)

[nius.livejournal.com]

One thing I love about Virginia. We might hate Teh Ghey, but we luv Teh Gunz.

[yotogi.livejournal.com]

Interesting. I was actually just telling a co-worker here what he needed to do to make a gun his brother was giving him as a gift legal; around here you just need to register the firearm itself, and get yourself a certificate from any valid safety training course, then present yourself to the Sherriff with your papers and the application fee. That isn't, of course, including any stuff you'd need to do for a CCW, which we do allow in this state.

I had no idea it was so complicated in other states.