The state revokes someone’s firearm owner’s ID—FOID for short—in cases like a conviction for domestic battery, or a finding that they have a, quote, mental disability. When that happens, the FOID-card holders are supposed to show that they’ve turned over their guns. 

But if they don’t, state law doesn’t require police to do anything about it.

Colleen Daley, who runs the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence, would like to see that changed. But she acknowledges it would create practical problems for police. 

“I’m sure there are situations where there are some concerns for officer safety if you’re going to someone’s home,” she says. “There’s no registry in Illinois, when it comes to firearms. So it’s not like there’s any way of knowing how many guns I might have.” 

A proposal to change the law was withdrawn last year in Springfield.