FOID

FOID or foid may refer to:

FOID (firearms)

FOID is an acronym for Firearm Owners Identification. To legally possess or purchase firearms or ammunition, residents of the state of Illinois are required to have a FOID card. (The term is alternatively pronounced "a foid card" or "an F.O.I.D. card".) The law has been in effect since 1968, and has been subject to amendments both increasing and decreasing its scope since its initial adoption in parallel to the federal Gun Control Act of 1968, which itself was seen as a response to several high profile political assassinations in the 1960s.

The FOID card is issued by the Illinois State Police, who first perform a check of the applicant on the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), an electronic database maintained by the FBI. Grounds for disqualification include a conviction for a felony or for an act of domestic violence, a conviction for assault or battery within the last five years, or being the subject of an order of protection. The police also check an Illinois Department of Human Services database, to disqualify any applicant who has been adjudicated as a mental defective, or who has been a patient of a mental institution within the last five years. Mental health professionals are required to inform state authorities about patients who display violent, suicidal or threatening behavior, for inclusion in the Human Services database. The police may also check other sources of information. There are additional requirements for applicants under the age of 21.