(The Center Square) – A firearms retailer is raising alarm over Illinois State Police planning to take down a Firearm Owners ID verification website for maintenance.
Maxon Shooter’s Supplies and Indoor Range owner Dan Eldridge said they were alerted to the site maintenance scheduled for Tuesday when they logged on to verify FOID cards for ammo and firearms purchases.
“And to validate that FOID card for ammo purchases, we have to hit up the FOID validation system. That’s what’s going to be unavailable, so we will be unable to sell ammunition,” Eldridge told The Center Square. “We also can’t verify eligibility on a firearm sale.”
Eldridge said this wouldn’t happen if Illinois didn’t have a FOID card.
“This just further undermines the case for continuing with the FOID card,” he said.
The website for the ISP Firearms Services Bureau says the portal will be inaccessible from 2 p.m. Tuesday May 20, to 4 p.m. Wednesday May 21.
“It’s just pretty bad that we’re looking at a software upgrade that’s going to curtail constitutionally covered behavior,” Eldridge said.
Eldridge doesn’t have confidence the system will return.
“If it’s a software upgrade that’s going to take, what is that, 28 hours to accomplish or 26 hours to accomplish, I’m nervous about the system coming back to life after they’re done with it,” he said.
Illinois is one of four states that requires residents to have a FOID card to own, possess or purchase firearms and ammunition. The law faces legal challenges in state and federal court.
