A county judge in Illinois has handed down a decision supporting a requirement that gun owners have a Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card, which was being challenged on constitutional grounds, according to WTVO News.
Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Jennifer Ascher ruled this week, “There is ample historical evidence supporting the constitutionality of the FOID Act, and GSL’s facial challenge fails as the historical record demonstrates that laws ‘relevantly similar’ to the FOID Act have been part of American legal history from the Founding Era to present day.”
While the judge granted a motion to dismiss the case, Center Square is reporting the organization Guns Save Life (GSL), plans to appeal.
The lawsuit was originally filed in May 2019, WTVO said.
The FOID requirement was adopted in the 1960s, and has been a thorn in the side of Illinois gun rights activists ever since. The card is issued by the Illinois State Police, whose director, Brendan Kelly, is the defendant in his official capacity. Gun owners need a FOID card to buy or own firearms or ammunition in the state.
Illinois is one of only four states that require such a card or permit, Center Square reported.
