Updated: Jun 10, 2020
(UPDATE: a petition had been started to demand an independent audit. https://www.change.org/p/j-b-pritzker-demand-an-audit-of-the-illinois-state-police-firearms-services-fund?recruiter=1025889179&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=tap_basic_share )
More updates are bottom, including the federal lawsuit this article (originally published 12/2/19) helped create.
(Original publication)
With the new Illinois General Assembly approaching fast, SB1966 (Fix the FOID or BIO Bill) will be front and center among gun control proponents and gun rights activists alike. Along with requiring fingerprints (at Gun owner’s expense) to legally own a firearm comes other bogus attachments, such as increased fees. One reason for this is to fund the State Police’s task force to track down revoked FOID’s. Here’s Bloomberg/Everytown’s media outlet’s explanation: https://www.thetrace.org/2019/05/illinois-gun-licensing-foid-bill/
Illinois Democrats who want to strengthen the state’s gun owner licensing program inched closer to victory this week after the House advanced legislation to close gaps exposed by February’s mass shooting in Aurora. But the bill’s proponents must still overcome objections from members of their party worried about the effects of ratcheting up license fees.
The overhaul’s primary sponsor, Representative Kathleen Willis, a Democrat from Northlake, left a committee hearing on May 21 intent on making revisions after her colleagues raised concerns about increasing the price of a Firearm Owners Identification card, the license needed to legally possess guns in Illinois, from $10 to $50. The revenues would fund a new State Police task force charged with investigating revoked license holders who failed to surrender their firearms, offset State Police administrative costs, and pay for state-run mental health programs.
You would think the FOID system is in financial ruin, right? Well, according to audits of the Illinois State Police, that’s far from the case:
https://www.auditor.illinois.gov/Audit-Reports/Compliance-Agency-List/ISP/FY16-ISP-Comp-Full.pdf
You’re reading that right. In 2014, 2015 and 2016 combined, only $15,875,735 of the $61,153,400 meant for the State Police Firearms Service Fund was accounted for with being used for what it’s supposed to be used for. Now, what about more recently in 2018?
http://auditor.illinois.gov/Audit-Reports/Compliance-Agency-List/ISP/FY18-ISP-Comp-Full.pdf
Where’s all of the unused money going? Where is it? Why isn’t it being used correctly as outlined? For example to the above, here’s the IL Concealed & Carry act:
http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=3497&ChapterID=39
(430 ILCS 66/60) Sec. 60. Fees. (a) All fees collected under this Act shall be deposited as pro