Clarifying state's gun regulations

Ken Wuestenfeld of Elk Grove Village states in his letter June 8 about waits for gun purchase: "the weapon stays at the gun store for the 3-5 day waiting period. Most gun stores will tell you to retrieve your weapon in one week."

Illinois as of June 1, 2019, has made the delivery of any gun purchased to 72 hours, which is a full 72 hours. In other words, if you purchase a weapon on a Monday at noon, you must wait until at least noon on Thursday to retrieve it. This three-day waiting period for handguns has been in effect for as long as I can remember, going back to the early 1970s. It's never been five days unless this was the case more than, say, 50 years ago. It used to be 24 hours for a long gun like a rifle or shotgun but that changed just this month to the full 72 hours as well.

As for changes to FOID procurement, let's be more clear here. Getting a FOID card involves researching for felonies committed in Illinois only. The Aurora shooter last February used a weapon that had been purchased legally, A background check revealed a felony conviction and jail time in Mississippi in 1995. A letter was sent to him to turn in his gun but such a request is not followed up on. And look what happened.

I think getting a FOID card should include finger printing for a more thorough background check. Can criminals get guns illegally? Yes, but why make it easy for them?

Honest citizens can still get a gun legally as long as they have a clean record. This has nothing to do with politics or an attack on the Second Amendment. It's just common sense.

Lawrence Kopp

Schaumburg