Civil liberty advocates sue blue state over 'show your papers' gun law
FIRST ON FOX: The New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA) filed a lawsuit against Illinois officials Tuesday over the state's Firearm Owners Identification Act, also known as the FOID Card Act,...
By Fox News · Fox News
FIRST ON FOX: The New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA) filed a lawsuit against Illinois officials Tuesday over the state's Firearm Owners Identification Act, also known as the FOID Card Act , a state law that requires Illinois residents to apply for and carry an identification card at all times to possess any firearm or ammunition. The civil complaint, which Fox News Digital obtained exclusively, challenges the law as unconstitutional, arguing it "entirely deprives everyone of the right to keep and bear arms – including the basic right to possess a firearm for self-defense in the home – unless and until they seek and receive the State's permission." NCLA is challenging the law's constitutionality, contending that FOID violates both the Second Amendment and the Fourteenth Amendment, particularly the latter amendment's Due Process Clause. NCLA is suing Illinois State Police Director Brendan F. Kelly, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke, seeking injunctive relief on behalf of three plaintiffs. VIRGINIA DEMS SEND SWEEPING GUN BAN TO SPANBERGER AS WEST VIRGINIA WEIGHS EXPANDING MACHINE-GUN ACCESS Two of the plaintiffs, Christopher Laurent and Kim Dalton, would like to obtain firearms for self-defense but haven't done so because they "refuse to submit to the state's unconstitutional procedure, and are unwilling to subject themselves to criminal prosecution by violating the law," the complaint reads. The other, Justin Tucker, did obtain a FOID card but doesn't want to have to continue to renew it or to carry it with him at all times, which state law requires if one wants to retain their right to bear arms in Illinois. "The police can approach you and demand you ‘show your papers’ to prove you're allowed to exercise this right, otherwise, you are committing a crime," NCLA Senior Litigation Counsel Jacob Huebert, the lead attorney on the lawsuit, told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. "Some people may have an…