The Illinois State Police Firearms Services Bureau is announcing several changes to the Firearm Owner Identification (FOID) Card program based on statutory changes to the FOID Act effective Jan. 1, 2022.
Since there is no expiration printed on new cards…does the gun dealer have to call the ISP and verify the FOID expiration? Does it expire at all?
“Nothing is changing with this process. The dealer will still contact the ISP to conduct the background check to receive approval prior completing the transaction,” said ISP Trooper Josh Korando. “New cards still expire in 5 and 10 years respectively, the issuance and expiration are simply not printed on the face of the card. The transactions submitted by dealers are done electronically and nothing has changed in the manner the background check is being conducted.”
Whenever a new FOID card is given and if the cardholder has a valid Conceal Carry License, the cardholder will be issued a combined FOID and CCL card. Similar to that of a driver’s license. If you have a motorcycle license you have a “Class M” license in addition to “Class D.”
How does the whole lumping together of the FOIA and CCL work? In Illinois, do you still have to get your CCL at 21 and take a class?
“The change in statute is simply combining the information from the two cards onto one as a matter of convenience for the cardholder,” said Korando. “The process nor the law are changing. You still have to be 21-years-old and you still have to take the required firearms training class.”
ISP did decide to settle a class action suit and is now paying out $100 thousand to lawyers.
On November 29, 2021, the Madison County Court entered an order of preliminary approval of the class action case Sterr v. Hacker, 15-L-1337.
The settlement provides that ISP will add an option to pay the FOID Card application fee through an electronic check using the Automated Clearing House (ACH) system, resulting in a charge of $10.00 with no additional vendor fee paid by the applicant until January 1, 2022, in accordance with Public Act 102-237, which provides that every applicant for a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card shall submit a $10 fee and applicable processing fees imposed by the State Treasurer for using the electronic online payment system.
