People who have firearm owner identification cards may soon need to be fingerprinted under legislation passed Wednesday in the Illinois House.
Under legislation approved in the Illinois House Wednesday afternoon, fingerprints would be required for anyone who applies for or renews a Firearms Owners Identification Card. The fingerprint data base would be available to the Illinois State Police investigating other cases.
The measure passed 62 to 52 and now goes to the Senate.
Under the proposal, both new applications for FOID cards and five-year card renewals would costs $20. The current cost for FOID applications and card renewals is $10 for 10 years.
FOID cards would last just five years instead of 10.
The legislation would create a database of people prohibited from owning a gun that could be accessed by law enforcement. The bill creates an Illinois State Police task force to take guns away from people who have had their FOID card revoked as well as those deemed to be a clear and present danger to themselves or others.
The new amendment also places a cap of $30 on the price vendors can charge for FOID fingerprinting, something that is not currently required but would be if the legislation is passed in the Senate.
Republican Representatives Tim Butler and Tom Bennett opposed the measure and spoke out against it on the House floor.
