|
 Passed
by the Senate on Friday,
House Bill 3500 adds an exemption to the Illinois Freedom of
Information Act, protecting the names and information of
firearm owner's identification card holders or
applicants. On Feb. 28, the attorney
general's office said it would allow the
names of FOID card holders to be made public. The ruling came in
response to an Associated Press Freedom of Information Act request
for information about FOID card holders.
The Illinois State Police
refused to release that information, citing public safety and
privacy concerns. The attorney
general's opinion is currently being
challenged in court. "We felt the
attorney general's opinion was wrong, and that it was
important to put in statute a measure to restrict public disclosure
of the names and information of people who currently possess or who
have applied for a FOID card," Brady said.
The 44th District senator said allowing public access to FOID card
information could potentially be used by criminals to burglarize
homes in search of firearms, or to target homes without firearms. It
could possibly lead to more "straw purchases" of guns or total
noncompliance with firearm registration requirements. Concerns have
also been expressed that the information would be used by commercial
solicitors. Passed by the Senate
on May 20 and by the House of Representatives
on April 8, House Bill 3500 now moves to the governor's desk for
further consideration. If signed by the governor, the bill will
become law immediately.
[Text from file sent on behalf
of
Sen.
Bill Brady by
Illinois Senate Republican staff] |
