CHICAGO — Sheriff Tom Dart announced a new state legislative proposal to seize guns belonging to people whose Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) cards have been revoked.
Illinois State Police said 10,000 cards were revoked last year, including the gun license for Gary Martin, the gunman from the Aurora shooting[1] last week.
Three-fourths of gun owners ignored their revocation notices, and critics say the state failed to follow up on Martin and many other gun owners.
State police said Martin lied to get a FOID card in 2014. He falsely answered “no” when asked if he was ever convicted of a felony. He was convicted of aggravated assault in Mississippi in 1995 for an attack that reportedly nearly killed his girlfriend.
Police said even today, a federal database used for background checks does not connect Martin’s name, birthdate and other identifiers to the conviction. They say the conviction only turns up when martin`s fingerprints are run.
Martin, 45, shot and killed 5 at the Henry Pratt Company in Aurora. He was fatally shot by police when he fired at officers.
References
- ^ the gunman from the Aurora shooting (wgntv.com)
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