SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - Since the pandemic began, Illinois State Police said they have seen a spike in FOID card applications.Â
From September 2019 to September 2020, a spokesperson for ISP said officials have seen more than an 80 percent increase in FOID card applications.
The owner of the Bullet Trap, Dan Cooley, said this spike is probably because of the pandemic.
"In the times we're in, people have turned to firearms, as this county always does, during times of strife," Cooley said. "That's what we're in."
On average, ISP said the time it will take to process a FOID card application is 116 days. The director of the Illinois State Rifle Association, Richard Pearson, said sometimes this process takes even longer.
"We have people waiting years actually for FOID cards, " Pearson said. "They haven't heard anything from the state police."
According to Cooley, the delay has caused problems for many of his customers.
"One gentleman had been beaten and robbed in his own home," Cooley said. "They took his FOID card. He was in this delay. He couldn't even keep his guns to protect himself."
Cooley said he believes the problem comes from having a FOID card requirement at all.
"Only three other states have any requirement whatsoever, Illinois being one of them," Cooley said. "All it has done is created a lot of headaches."
On the other hand, Pearson said he believes the delays are a result of the misuse of funds.
"The state police get $120 from every conceal carry application. You're talking about millions of dollars, and it was not spent properly," Pearson said. "Sometimes it was returned to the state and not used to upgrade equipment or hire people to do it."
A spokesperson for ISP said they received more FOID card applications in June 2020 then between the months of November 2019 and February 2020. ISP is currently working to hire more people to help process the backlogged applications.Â
"It's a big unanticipated mess right now. No one saw (it) coming," Cooley said. "All people can do right now is be patient."
