Gun control supporters head to Springfield with 'Fix the FOID Act' protest

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WLS) -- A group of concerned Chicago area moms boarded a bus early Wednesday morning with the goal of convincing lawmakers to fix the FOID Act.

Advocates are rallying for legislation that would close some loop holes in the Firearm Owner Identification card process.

"I think this is realistic reform that many people can get behind. We are trying to fix the gaps in the FOID to make sure people with violent criminal histories cannot have firearms," stated Laura Singer of the Gun Violence Prevention PAC.

The bill comes in the wake of the Aurora workplace shooting that killed five people. The shooter's FOID card had been revoked, but his gun was never confiscated.

"We are going to give the state police the authority and the ability to take care of that," said Illinois State Rep. Kathleen Willis, D- Addison.

To give law enforcement more resources, the bill would increase FOID Card application fees from $10 to $50 and cut the time a license is valid from 10 years to five.

Gun rights advocates don't think it's necessary. In the Aurora case, they say law enforcement dropped the ball.

"The tools are there for law enforcement and the criminal justice system could have stopped and they failed to do that," said gun shop owner Dan Eldridge.

The FOID legislation would also require people seeking a FOID card to submit a fingerprint.

"To process fingerprinting and do background checks is an enormous waste of scarce precious law enforcement resources to no meaningful end," said Eldridge.