Turns out, the FOID card exists because of racial tensions and armed blacks

California’s Mulford Act was designed to target African Americans and prohibit them from open carrying while exercising their first amendment rights. Yes, the NRA of the day even supported it (maybe that’s why anti-gun lobbying groups have began claiming the NRA isn’t what it used to be, god forbid they evolve and stand up for all Americans who want to be legally armed). Now, a month after the Mulford Act was passed in 1967, Illinois passed a law that, according to some state politicians, was even better. Let’s take a time machine back to May 23, 1967 and visit this article from the Chicago Tribune, which was the day the FOID card act passed the Illinois Senate (also note that waiting periods in CA were used to target blacks):

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of this, so here’s page 7, column 11 (continued):

Here’s Chicago Mayor Daley (mentioned above) speaking with President Johnson (LBJ) one year prior in 1966. Here’s his reasons for supporting it and other gun control measures. More on the importance of this regarding the FOID later:

“Well, as good as they can be, but we need some kind of federal help to shut off this gang situation. This gang situation in New York, in Los Angeles, in Philadelphia, in Cleveland, in Pittsburgh, in Detroit, in San Francisco, is no good. And if it’s allowed to go unabated, if it’s allowed to go and fester the way it is . . . The majority of them are headed, as you know, by ex-convicts: dope pushers, robbery with a gun, all of this kind of business. And there—something has to be done, Mr. President, on the sale of the guns. We—Outside [in] the suburbs—in the city we have control—but what the hell, in the suburbs that are—you go out to all around our suburbs and you