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Wait times are rising for Firearm Owner Identification cards in Illinois, matching more sales reported by dealers and an increase in gun sale background checks.
Published: 4:40 PM CDT August 13, 2020
ST. LOUIS — Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic and stay-at-home orders, the I-Team has reported gun sales and buyer background checks keep hitting record highs. In Illinois, that’s accompanied by a flood of new applications for the state’s firearm owner permit program.
July was the third month in a row where gun buyer background checks set a record in Illinois, topping the high numbers of checks earlier in the year, according to the FBI.
Credit: KSDK
FBI data show the number of background checks for gun sales in Illinois is at an all-time high through July 2020.
Dealers told 5 On Your Side that demand is driven by people who haven’t owned a gun before. In Illinois, those new owners are required to have a Firearm Owner Identification card, or FOID card, before they can buy a gun.
Over 17 days in June, Illinois State Police (ISP) received more than 42,000 FOID applications, a 500% increase over the same time for the previous year.
“It's still about two to two and a half times the average of what we would typically see in a month, looking at it back historically. So when you compare this to previous times, the overall total for June was just shy of 63,000 applications for new FOID cards. That, based on our historical records, is the single highest month in the history of FOID,” said Major Jarod Ingrebrigtsen, public safety services commander with the ISP.
For more to the story, go to 5 On Your Side
Published: 4:40 PM CDT August 13, 2020
ST. LOUIS — Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic and stay-at-home orders, the I-Team has reported gun sales and buyer background checks keep hitting record highs. In Illinois, that’s accompanied by a flood of new applications for the state’s firearm owner permit program.
July was the third month in a row where gun buyer background checks set a record in Illinois, topping the high numbers of checks earlier in the year, according to the FBI.
Credit: KSDK
FBI data show the number of background checks for gun sales in Illinois is at an all-time high through July 2020.
Dealers told 5 On Your Side that demand is driven by people who haven’t owned a gun before. In Illinois, those new owners are required to have a Firearm Owner Identification card, or FOID card, before they can buy a gun.
Over 17 days in June, Illinois State Police (ISP) received more than 42,000 FOID applications, a 500% increase over the same time for the previous year.
“It's still about two to two and a half times the average of what we would typically see in a month, looking at it back historically. So when you compare this to previous times, the overall total for June was just shy of 63,000 applications for new FOID cards. That, based on our historical records, is the single highest month in the history of FOID,” said Major Jarod Ingrebrigtsen, public safety services commander with the ISP.
For more to the story, go to 5 On Your Side
