93rd District Representative Norine Hammond believes that more onerous gun laws will be brought up soon in the General Assembly. Hammond was one of several down state legislators who voted against Senate Bill 1966, which would have increase FOID card fees by 400% and require FOID cardholders to submit their fingerprints to the Illinois State Police back in May. In September, Hammond was appointed to the House Firearm Public Awareness Task Force by House Minority Leader Jim Durkin. The task force of 12 Democrats and 12 Republicans was created by House Speaker Michael Madigan to address the issue of gun violence in the state. Democrat Representative LaShawn Ford said that the members of the task force would examine examine the possibility of amending Illinois’ concealed carry law, regulating rifles, and drafting a “comprehensive, statewide omnibus bill” to regulate firearms.
Hammond says that legislation is likely to come up again in January. She says that too many of the laws go after legal, FOID Card holding gun owners and does little to address the influx of illegal guns and how criminals obtain those guns in the state.
For now, Hammond will be working with local citizens to get their FOID applications in. On Monday, she will be hosting one of her FOID application Help Days at the Beardstown Houston Library from 11AM-2PM. She says that her office has received multiple calls since ISP moved away from accepting applications. She says her office thought it would be a good idea to hold the Help Days in her district to help those who have trouble navigating computers, those who have limited to no Internet access, or to help those who are unable to drive to be able to apply and start the process of getting a FOID card.
FOID Cards won’t be issued during the Help Days but they will help start the process with the Illinois State Police. Another Help Day is also scheduled for Tuesday from 11-1PM at the Brown County Public Library in Mt. Sterling. Hammond also said that people can visit her office in Macomb or can call her office at 309-836-2707 if they have any further concerns about the FOID process or gun ownership.