FOID Application Question--What to Expect?

daveless · March 23, 2013, 02:59 AM

I have recently applied for a FOID a couple months ago, the check/money order cleared and processed without a hitch. I called a couple times to check on the status of it and here is where there is a delay.

11 years ago when I was 15 years old I was arrested for shoplifting less than $10, a stupid mistake that I have since learned from, it was a first and last time thing. I went through a peer review and community service and since have had a clean record, not even a speeding ticket on my record.
I have always marked "no" for convictions/crimes..etc on job application since then and have had absolutely no issues passing any sort of background checks for jobs, even extensive background checks with fingerprinting and such that takes a week or so to come back, i have always passed them and have had no issues. This is what I was instructed to do by the police department when I would check with them as the years went by when I was applying for jobs and that I should not worry about it in terms of marking "no" for convictions/felonies..etc on job applications

Illinois State Police has determined that further review was required as a result. They tell me that all they see is that there is a "retail theft" that popped up and nothing more is shown beyond that, they told me that they have to contact a rep in the FBI or something? I guess they cannot see that I was a juvenile/minor at the time? since "retail theft" 11 years ago was all they see?
Now they did not deny me or approve me, all that they told me was that further review needs to be done with my application.

What should i expect? should i expect a denial? i am prepared to go to the circuit court and police department to verify all of this whether it was expunged/sealed as i was 15 years old at the time for shoplifting less than $10 11 years ago. i guess i will have to deal with two days of anxious waiting since they are closed on weekends and i'll have to visit them on monday morning.
Also, if I do hopefully end up being approved and obtain my FOID card, will this thing from 11 years ago when I was 15 affect ncis checks and purchases when all that goes through with the 4473 and all that?

thanks everyone.

**JohnKSa** · March 23, 2013, 06:01 AM

I split this into a separate topic.

The problem with reviving an old thread to post a new question at the end is that many of the people reading the thread never realize it's an old thread and simply reply to the original topic in the initial post, never reading down far enough to see the new question.

Luger_carbine · March 23, 2013, 06:42 AM

I was watching committee testimony of the NRA lobbyist for Illinois Todd Vandermyde and he said there is an estimated 70,000 person back log.

I think it was testimony in regards to increased fees for the FOID. Because the anti-gun faction is talking about "New York style" gun regulations in light of Moore.

Anyway, there is an entire thread about this at IllinoisCarry.com:

http://illinoiscarry.com/forum/index...howtopic=28067

daveless · March 23, 2013, 11:56 AM

thank you john, i've posted in illinoiscarry as well but haven't gotten that much input so i thought i would give the firing line a try as well

Mike38 · March 23, 2013, 12:04 PM

I would hold tight and wait it out. I have a “less then stellar” background from some mistakes I made in my younger and dumber years. I have never had a problem with FOID. Matter of fact, I passed a background check 4 years ago to work for the Federal Government, and recently passed the background check to be EMS on a County Sherriff’s Department Search and Rescue Team. The Search and Rescue check did raise a couple questions that I answered truthfully. One week later I got a call from the Sherriff saying welcome aboard.

daveless · March 23, 2013, 02:21 PM

thanks mike, that sounds encouraging for my application.

nate45 · March 23, 2013, 02:27 PM

First, it took almost 60 days to get mine last renewal and that was well before the recent run on firearms and ammunition...so expect them to be slow. Second, some crimes which lead to misdemeanor convictions are often automatically charged as felonies, so its possible something like that occurred. If you were really only convicted of a misdemeanor, you have nothing to worry about.

If I were you though, I'd just bide my time, since they are so backlogged.
However, if its convenient, you could go to the court were convicted and get the pertinent records and mail them to the state police. That might speed things up.

daveless · March 23, 2013, 11:36 PM

thanks nate, would it be unwise to contact them weekly to check on the status of it? or maybe even contact a state representative or senator?

I wouldn't want to annoy them and screw my application up with it being under further review and all?

spanishjames · March 24, 2013, 03:27 PM

It took over three months for my FOID "renewal". After 90 days I called my state senator's office and spoke to an administrative assistant. The next day she called back and said the Illinois State Police are processing the application. I had the card five days later. Calliing your state senator or representative is the best way to get your FOID card if it's been longer than 30 days. The good folks at the Illinois Carry forum swear by this advice, and it worked for me.

Onward Allusion · March 24, 2013, 03:51 PM

daveless
<SNIP>Illinois State Police has determined that further review was required as a result. They tell me that all they see is that there is a "retail theft" that popped up and nothing more is shown beyond that, they told me that they have to contact a rep in the FBI or something? I guess they cannot see that I was a juvenile/minor at the time? since "retail theft" 11 years ago was all they see?<SNIP>

...the usual "I am not a lawyer" crap here...

Get a lawyer and have your juvenile records expunged, sealed, or destroyed; whatever that will make the crap disappear. As a rule, juvenile records are suppose to be closed and confidential. In theory, a retail theft record at the age of 15 should not have any bearing on your ability to own a firearm, but in a Non-Free State, your at the guberment's mercy. Did I say get a lawyer and get it wiped?

daveless · March 25, 2013, 02:36 AM

thanks for the replies, i will be visiting the circuit court today to see what exactly is popping up for the illinois state police. I am going to get as much information as possible and be well prepared with it before contacting my state rep/senator and the isp for further information and status update.

regardless of the outcome of my foid(hopefully approved), i will seek expungement of this. It seemed so minor and all seemed to have been absolved with the details i have posted in my original post but apparently not, although i haven't been denied and there is a delay it is not encouraging to have this sort of thing come up the way it did through a law enforcement agency.

I did have a question for those of you who have contacted a state rep or senator, would out of district or reps/senators who don't represent be of equal or greater help if you were to contact them? the reason for asking this is in case the rep or senator who represents me isn't particularly friendly of the 2nd amendment...

daveless · March 25, 2013, 08:12 PM

I visited the circuit court today and also saw a deputy chief juvenile probation officer.
They could not find anything for some reason and told me that it was possible that it was never sent to court and that the police department that arrested me conducted their own peer jury review, community service and all that. I was told that that sort of thing can take place from time to time.

I went to the police department and I had to fill out a form for a request on my record and was told it would take up to 5 days. I guess now I have to wait to get the documents and fax it to the Illinois State police to show the disposition/outcome. Hopefully the Illinois State Police can finish their "review" before I can fax it to them but I am pessimistic of it.

My biggest concern is that ISP simply denies me for having an arrest on my record without really investigating the disposition/outcome or that I was a juvenile at 15 years old and all the other details that surround it.

March 23, 2013, 02:59 AM	#1
daveless Junior Member Join Date: March 22, 2013 Posts: 7	FOID Application Question--What to Expect? I have recently applied for a FOID a couple months ago, the check/money order cleared and processed without a hitch. I called a couple times to check on the status of it and here is where there is a delay. 11 years ago when I was 15 years old I was arrested for shoplifting less than $10, a stupid mistake that I have since learned from, it was a first and last time thing. I went through a peer review and community service and since have had a clean record, not even a speeding ticket on my record. I have always marked "no" for convictions/crimes..etc on job application since then and have had absolutely no issues passing any sort of background checks for jobs, even extensive background checks with fingerprinting and such that takes a week or so to come back, i have always passed them and have had no issues. This is what I was instructed to do by the police department when I would check with them as the years went by when I was applying for jobs and that I should not worry about it in terms of marking "no" for convictions/felonies..etc on job applications Illinois State Police has determined that further review was required as a result. They tell me that all they see is that there is a "retail theft" that popped up and nothing more is shown beyond that, they told me that they have to contact a rep in the FBI or something? I guess they cannot see that I was a juvenile/minor at the time? since "retail theft" 11 years ago was all they see? Now they did not deny me or approve me, all that they told me was that further review needs to be done with my application. What should i expect? should i expect a denial? i am prepared to go to the circuit court and police department to verify all of this whether it was expunged/sealed as i was 15 years old at the time for shoplifting less than $10 11 years ago. i guess i will have to deal with two days of anxious waiting since they are closed on weekends and i'll have to visit them on monday morning. Also, if I do hopefully end up being approved and obtain my FOID card, will this thing from 11 years ago when I was 15 affect ncis checks and purchases when all that goes through with the 4473 and all that? thanks everyone. Last edited by JohnKSa; March 23, 2013 at 06:02 AM. Reason: Cleanup after split.

March 23, 2013, 06:01 AM	#2
JohnKSa Staff Join Date: February 12, 2001 Location: DFW Area Posts: 24,992	I split this into a separate topic. The problem with reviving an old thread to post a new question at the end is that many of the people reading the thread never realize it's an old thread and simply reply to the original topic in the initial post, never reading down far enough to see the new question. __________________ Do you know about the TEXAS State Rifle Association?

March 23, 2013, 02:27 PM	#7
nate45 Senior Member Join Date: July 15, 2007 Location: Illinois Posts: 3,746	First, it took almost 60 days to get mine last renewal and that was well before the recent run on firearms and ammunition...so expect them to be slow. Second, some crimes which lead to misdemeanor convictions are often automatically charged as felonies, so its possible something like that occurred. If you were really only convicted of a misdemeanor, you have nothing to worry about. If I were you though, I'd just bide my time, since they are so backlogged. However, if its convenient, you could go to the court were convicted and get the pertinent records and mail them to the state police. That might speed things up. __________________ "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms."- Thomas Jefferson ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ (>_<)

March 24, 2013, 03:27 PM	#9
spanishjames Senior Member Join Date: April 27, 2010 Posts: 553	It took over three months for my FOID "renewal". After 90 days I called my state senator's office and spoke to an administrative assistant. The next day she called back and said the Illinois State Police are processing the application. I had the card five days later. Calliing your state senator or representative is the best way to get your FOID card if it's been longer than 30 days. The good folks at the Illinois Carry forum swear by this advice, and it worked for me. __________________ Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable." -Sydney J. Harris

March 24, 2013, 03:51 PM	#10
Onward Allusion Senior Member Join Date: November 17, 2009 Location: Back in a Non-Free State Posts: 3,133	daveless <SNIP>Illinois State Police has determined that further review was required as a result. They tell me that all they see is that there is a "retail theft" that popped up and nothing more is shown beyond that, they told me that they have to contact a rep in the FBI or something? I guess they cannot see that I was a juvenile/minor at the time? since "retail theft" 11 years ago was all they see?<SNIP> ...the usual "I am not a lawyer" crap here... Get a lawyer and have your juvenile records expunged, sealed, or destroyed; whatever that will make the crap disappear. As a rule, juvenile records are suppose to be closed and confidential. In theory, a retail theft record at the age of 15 should not have any bearing on your ability to own a firearm, but in a Non-Free State, your at the guberment's mercy. Did I say get a lawyer and get it wiped? __________________ Simple as ABC . . . Always Be Carrying

March 23, 2013, 06:42 AM	#3
Luger_carbine Senior Member Join Date: June 18, 2012 Posts: 389	I was watching committee testimony of the NRA lobbyist for Illinois Todd Vandermyde and he said there is an estimated 70,000 person back log. I think it was testimony in regards to increased fees for the FOID. Because the anti-gun faction is talking about "New York style" gun regulations in light of Moore. Anyway, there is an entire thread about this at IllinoisCarry.com: http://illinoiscarry.com/forum/index...howtopic=28067

March 23, 2013, 11:56 AM	#4
daveless Junior Member Join Date: March 22, 2013 Posts: 7	thank you john, i've posted in illinoiscarry as well but haven't gotten that much input so i thought i would give the firing line a try as well

March 23, 2013, 12:04 PM	#5
Mike38 Senior Member Join Date: December 28, 2009 Location: North Central Illinois Posts: 2,710	I would hold tight and wait it out. I have a “less then stellar” background from some mistakes I made in my younger and dumber years. I have never had a problem with FOID. Matter of fact, I passed a background check 4 years ago to work for the Federal Government, and recently passed the background check to be EMS on a County Sherriff’s Department Search and Rescue Team. The Search and Rescue check did raise a couple questions that I answered truthfully. One week later I got a call from the Sherriff saying welcome aboard.

March 23, 2013, 02:21 PM	#6
daveless Junior Member Join Date: March 22, 2013 Posts: 7	thanks mike, that sounds encouraging for my application.

March 23, 2013, 11:36 PM	#8
daveless Junior Member Join Date: March 22, 2013 Posts: 7	thanks nate, would it be unwise to contact them weekly to check on the status of it? or maybe even contact a state representative or senator? I wouldn't want to annoy them and screw my application up with it being under further review and all?

March 25, 2013, 02:36 AM	#11
daveless Junior Member Join Date: March 22, 2013 Posts: 7	thanks for the replies, i will be visiting the circuit court today to see what exactly is popping up for the illinois state police. I am going to get as much information as possible and be well prepared with it before contacting my state rep/senator and the isp for further information and status update. regardless of the outcome of my foid(hopefully approved), i will seek expungement of this. It seemed so minor and all seemed to have been absolved with the details i have posted in my original post but apparently not, although i haven't been denied and there is a delay it is not encouraging to have this sort of thing come up the way it did through a law enforcement agency. I did have a question for those of you who have contacted a state rep or senator, would out of district or reps/senators who don't represent be of equal or greater help if you were to contact them? the reason for asking this is in case the rep or senator who represents me isn't particularly friendly of the 2nd amendment...

March 25, 2013, 08:12 PM	#12
daveless Junior Member Join Date: March 22, 2013 Posts: 7	I visited the circuit court today and also saw a deputy chief juvenile probation officer. They could not find anything for some reason and told me that it was possible that it was never sent to court and that the police department that arrested me conducted their own peer jury review, community service and all that. I was told that that sort of thing can take place from time to time. I went to the police department and I had to fill out a form for a request on my record and was told it would take up to 5 days. I guess now I have to wait to get the documents and fax it to the Illinois State police to show the disposition/outcome. Hopefully the Illinois State Police can finish their "review" before I can fax it to them but I am pessimistic of it. My biggest concern is that ISP simply denies me for having an arrest on my record without really investigating the disposition/outcome or that I was a juvenile at 15 years old and all the other details that surround it.