(Springfield, IL) – July 2, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today quietly signed legislation that exempts Illinois Firearm Owner’s Identification Card holders from the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, easing the fears in armed households around Illinois.
“As Governor, I have made increasing openness and transparency in government one of my top priorities,” said Quinn, who released the news Saturday afternoon. “…[H]owever, it should not come at the expense of the public’s safety.”
Earlier this year, the Illinois State Police denied news media outlets’ Illinois Freedom of Information Act requests for the firearm owner’s licenses.
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan issued a legal opinion that contradicted the state police and argued the information could be made public, like hunting licenses.
The Madigan opinion stirred the hornets in the Illinois State Rifle Association nest. The gun group launched a smear campaign against Madigan and a fear campaign against public, claiming that the heavily armed households would suddenly be vulnerable to home invasion by criminals seeking their weapons.
Gun advocates have long claimed in their campaigns for concealed carry laws that the possession or perceived possession of weapons acts as a deterrence against crime. However, in this case, the same advocates suddenly argued that the publication of a gun owner’s identity would attract crime and threaten public safety.
“Attorney General Madigan has to understand that the safety of real people is at stake here,” said ISRA Executive Director Richard Pearson.
“Once this information is released, it will be distributed to street gangs and gun control groups who will use the data to target gun owners for crime and harassment.”
Despite possessing vast stocks of weapons, it’s always mayhem around the corner with these people.
Still, some gun enthusiasts fear more than garden-variety burglaries and harassment.
“Hitler used shoe boxes to round up and murder his enemies, the Nazis here in IL have computerized databases and they can be much more efficient,” wrote a worried gun rights champion on a gun group Web site “Free Republic.”
Apparently, computer data geeks are actually Nazis. Who knew?
On this issue, the gun advocates suddenly lost faith in the horde of pistols, rifles, and assault weapons that are rife in Illinois to protect their poor, huddled, frightened, owners.
Whatever.
The politically influential gun group did manage, however, to scare the Illinois General Assembly and the Governor into believing that a looming “public safety” threat existed.
“This bill has the support of the Illinois State Police because it ensures that individuals who have FOID cards or who have applied for FOID cards are protected from having their personal information made public,” Quinn said, “which could make them vulnerable to potential crimes and jeopardize public safety.”
Now everyone can sleep safely in his or her bed.
Gov. Pat Quinn
What a simpering whiny excuse for an Op Ed.
Is there anything else about gun owners you’d like to complain about, maybe the way they dress or the cars they drive?
The Illinois FOID program is run by the State Police. They know everyone who has been issued a card or had a card revoked. So does every law enforcement agency; state, county or city prosecutor. They have no trouble in determining if a suspect is in the database; if they have a FOID or not.
The reason you are so insanely upset and whiny is all the people who have a need to access the database CAN. but, and this is the heavy but, YOU, YOU SORRY EXCUSE FOR A WANNABE JOURNALIST, CAN’T!!!
You are not entitled to have every FOID holder on a website you can access. You are frustrated because YOU can’t look up and see if your boss, neighbor, stockbroker, or the wacky woman down the hall, has a FOID.
This is, in fact, no different from most states and automobile license plates. Your idle curiosity about who owns the new Mercedes is not sufficient reason to run a license plate. Cops have lost their jobs getting caught running plates for personal reasons or for their friends.
No vengeful stalker should be able to find out his ex-wife has a gun permit and her new address with a couple of mouse clicks. No self-righteous newspaper editor should be able to “out” gun owners furthering an editorial position by publishing their names and address in the paper.
Now start getting used tot he idea of concealed carry in Illinois. It’s coming sooner than a gun grabber like you might like.
Posted by Don P. | July 5, 2011, 7:43 AMDon P.
Thank you for reading.
David Ormsby
Posted by David Ormsby | July 5, 2011, 7:51 AM