'Fix The FOID' Act Aims To Fix Cracks In IL Gun Licensing Laws

CHICAGO, IL — Chicago Superintendent Eddie Johnson stood with gun control advocates and state officials outside of the Thompson Center Tuesday morning, just steps from the place where Chicago Police Commander Paul Bauer was shot to death just more than a year ago. Those present at the press conference had gathered with a common purpose: to discuss the Fix The FOID Act, a new bill that aims to strengthen gun licensing laws in an effort to prevent tragedies like Bauer's death and the mass shooting at Henry Pratt Manufacturing in Aurora that left five employees dead on Feb. 15.

Gary Martin, the shooter responsible for the Henry Pratt massacre, used a .40-caliber Smith and Wesson handgun that he purchased after his Firearm Owners Identification application was approved because a prior felony conviction did not show up on a background check. The shooter's FOID was later revoked after the felony showed up during a background check for a Firearm Conceal and Carry License (FCCL).

The Fix the FOID Act (HB 96) hopes to pinpoint and correct loopholes or oversights that permit felons to get and keep guns. A press release states that HB 96 would "help ensure that people with a violent criminal history, who are prohibited from gun possession, cannot evade the law and arm themselves."

Rep. Barbara Hernandez, who represents Aurora in the Illinois 83rd House District, is the bill's chief co-sponsor.

"The shooter at Henry Pratt never should have had a gun in his possession," Hernandez said. "With the small, yet vital, changes to our gun licensing system that the Fix the FOID Act proposes, we can prevent these tragedies from repeating themselves."

Johnson said part of the gun control effort will also be to increase enforcement against illegal firearm trafficking.

Also present to show support for the bill were members of the Gun Violence Prevention Action Committee and the Illinois Gun Violence Prevention Coalition, groups that sponsored the bill.

Read more:

State Police Investigate Why Aurora Shooter Still Had Gun

Aurora Shooter's FOID Card: Cops Find No Notice Of Revocation