SHOULD GUN OWNERS BE FINGERPRINTED?
by
James Yrkoski on Mar. 03, 2020
Criminal Civil & Human Rights Business Administrative Law
Summary: The head of the Illinois State Police is calling on legislators to take action requiring gun holders to provide a set of fingerprints upon renewal of their Firearms Owner Identity Cards.
The head of the Illinois State Police thinks so and is calling on legislators to take action. ISP Director Brendan Kelly wants the state Senate to pass SB 1966, which would require holders to provide a set of fingerprints upon renewal of their Firearms Owner Identity Cards. First introduced in 1968, the cards enable the state to track gun ownership. The regime has been a target of gun rights activists since before its inception.
The state’s top cop says fingerprinting is necessary to ensure that guns aren’t sold to felons and others barred by law from owning guns. Citing a mass shooting by a man who lied about a such a conviction his the FOID application that enabled him to buy the weapon that killed or injured a dozen people in Aurora last year could have been avoided by a requiring a records check. The bill passed the Illinois House in the last legislative session and Gov. JB Pritzker has said he’ll sign such a bill if it clears the upper chamber.