Illinois saw a 167 percent surge in applications for Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) cards through November this year as compared to 2017 numbers.
The Chicago Tribune reported there were 445,945 FOID card applications through November of this year as compared to “166,649 applications in 2017.”
More than 2.2 million Illinois residents currently have FOID cards.
Moreover, “the number of concealed carry licenses has swelled from 90,301 in 2014 to 343,299 in 2020.”
NBC 5 highlighted that the surge in FOID card applications and jump in concealed carry licenses have been coupled with a sharp increase in gun purchases in Illinois. They note that Illinois State Police data indicates “more than 500,000 inquiries about gun purchases through November” in the state, so those inquiries are coming in at a level 45 percent higher than witnessed in 2019.
According to Fox 32 article, Illinois State Police “struggled” to keep up with the demand for FOID cards, and there is now “a processing period of 121 days.” The processing time for a concealed carry license is currently averaging 145 days.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.
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