The Illinois House passed a bill Wednesday requiring gun owners in the state to be fingerprinted and to pay more money for identification cards.
Democratic Rep. Kathleen Willis said the bill came after a deadly shooting at an Aurora factory in February, where six people and the gunman were killed, and in response to deficiencies with the state's current Firearm Owner's Identification system, reports ABC News.
The shooter, Gary Montez Martin was able to obtain a FOID card, even though as a convicted felon he should not have been eligible.
He used the card to buy the .40-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun that was used in the attack, according to police.
The cards currently cost $10 and remain in effect for 10 years, but under the new bill, cards will cost $20 and last for five years. Further, the new bill calls for card owners to be fingerprinted.
The vote of 62-52 came after a heated debate that went on for about three hours, reports The Chicago Tribune. The measure faced strong opposition from Republicans, with one lawmaker, Rep. Darren Bailey calling it "a total and complete infringement of the Second Amendment and the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution."
The Illinois Rifle Association issued a statement saying it will fight the bill in court, and called it "one of the most onerous regulations for gun owners."
Rep. Barbara Hernandez, a Democrat from Aurora, said she thinks the bill is fair, and the fingerprint requirement and the higher card fee will keep communities safe.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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