-By Warner Todd Huston
Recently the Associated Press asked the Illinois State Police for its list of Illinois gun owners. The police refused saying that the release of the names and addresses of all those registered firearm owners in Illinois would be a violation of their privacy but Illinois Attorney General Democrat Lisa Madigan disagrees with the police and has ruled that the list should be released to the press.
In Illinois anyone that wants to buy a firearm or wants to purchase ammunition and related supplies must register and obtain a Firearm Owner’s ID card (or a FOID). The card is also necessary for hunters that use firearms. Citizens do not have to get one of these cards in order to be allowed to have a gun, but they need one to legally purchase and buy supplies for them in the state. It is this registry that the press wanted released.
Democrat Attorney General Lisa Madigan, daughter of the state’s powerful Democrat majority leader Michael Madigan, has decided that the privacy concern is “invalid” undermining the State Police’s reasoning of r refusing to release the list. Madigan’s office released a letter to the press on Monday evening, February 28.
Currently there are no state laws that would prohibit the release of the registry but some Republican-sponsored bills are sitting idle in the House of Representatives.
The State Police have not announced what they intend to do from here.
This move is obviously a move by Democrat Madigan to intimidate Illinois gun owners hoping to make them fear that their names and addresses will suddenly be released to the media.
**UPDATE**
I spoke from memory on the FOID Act and I did not get it right. I am reminded by a reader that you do have to have an FOID card to actually own a firearm. I had thought you only needed an FOID card to buy a gun or buy ammunition for it.
Turns out the state is saying that you aren’t even allowed to have a gun in Illinois without registering yourself.
So much for “shall not be infringed”…
Relevant part of the law from Ch. 38, par. 83‑2…
(430 ILCS 65/2)
Sec. 2. Firearm Owner’s Identification Card required; exceptions.
(a) (1) No person may acquire or possess any firearm, stun gun, or taser within this State without having in his or her possession a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card previously issued in his or her name by the Department of State Police under the provisions of this Act.(2) No person may acquire or possess firearm ammunition within this State without having in his or her possession a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card previously issued in his or her name by the Department of State Police under the provisions of this Act.
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“The only end of writing is to enable the reader better to enjoy life, or better to endure it.”
–Samuel Johnson
Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer. He has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and before that he wrote articles on U.S. history for several small American magazines. His political columns are featured on many websites such as Andrew Breitbart’s BigGovernment.com, BigHollywood.com, and BigJournalism.com, as well as RightWingNews.com, RightPundits.com, CanadaFreePress.com, StoptheACLU.com, AmericanDaily.com, among many, many others. Mr. Huston is also endlessly amused that one of his articles formed the basis of an article in Germany’s Der Spiegel Magazine in 2008.
For a full bio, please CLICK HERE.
I hate it when uber Liberals want to screw with law-abiding taxpayers.
How would she feel if the shoe were on the other foot.
Public records show she likely lives, or recently lived at 3500 N. Greenview Ave. Chicago, IL 60657.
Since it is a few blocks from where her husband’s office is, and the Village Tap, where he has been known to frequent, and one of the other units which was owned by the Reznik’s recently sold. Democrat birds of a feather roost close-by. I won’t list the phone number, as I just wanted to make her think of what she callously wants to do to others.