The Knox Report
From the Firearms Coalition
Color Commentary
By Jeff Knox
(November 13, 2007) Back in July I wrote a piece titled “The Color of Gun Control” in which I described some of the racist motivations which historically underlie gun control laws. When that article was published in Shotgun News a month later and I re-read it, I was surprised to note a rather glaring error. While I stand by the core premise of the article, that gun control is intrinsically racist, I think some corrections and clarifications are is in order.
What immediately caught my attention was reading my description of the Illinois Firearm Owner ID system as a local jurisdiction, permit to purchase style program. The FOID is no such thing. It is a non-discretionary program operated by the State Police under which any person wishing to own a gun in the state must apply through the State Police and pass a background check. If their record is clear, they get the FOID with no further say-so from law enforcement.