LOOKS LIKE THE DOWNSTATE VOTERS WON'T BE LEFT OUT OF THIS ARGUMENT IN THIS ELECTION!!!

Taken from The Pantagraph: Erickson&Adrian: Blagojevich under the gun for FOID problems

You might call what's happened over the past two weeks a FOID-ian slip on the part of Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

If there is one thing Blagojevich should know, it's not to mess with the gun guys - and gun ladies.

During his 2002 campaign for governor, he was forced to moderate his position on gun control away from his efforts to ban handguns and raise the cost of a Firearms Owner Identification Card to one that more accurately reflected Illinois' diverse population.

On the trail, he eschewed legislation he had once sponsored as a lawmaker to boost the cost of a FOID card after, well, getting in tune with some of the folks who live outside of Cook County.

It seemed clear he understood what he had to do. After all, even after he won, he continued courting the gun folks. In his first budget speech, he reiterated his stance that he would not raise the cost of a FOID card beyond its current $5 level.

"And let me repeat a promise you've heard me make before," he said during the speech. "I said it once, I'll say it again. We will not raise the FOID card. Not one dime. Not one nickel. Not one penny."

Over the last two weeks, however, Blagojevich appears to have lost his way. The Illinois State Police, because of Blagojevich-induced staff cuts, got so far behind in processing FOID cards, the state made felons out of many gun owners in Illinois by failing to get new or renewed FOID cards processed in a timely fashion.

Instead of waiting the requisite 30 days for their cards, gun owners have found themselves waiting up to 50 days. And yes, the state police said, those folks could be arrested for possessing a gun without a valid FOID card, even if it's the state's fault for not getting the FOID cards out in time.

After we first reported the situation, the governor's office quickly found some cash to remedy the situation. They are in the process of hiring more people to staff the division that processes the cards.

That hasn't stopped gun owners from piping up about how they feel about Blagojevich.

The vocal ones, quite frankly, still don't trust the Chicago Democrat as he runs for a second term.

Richard Pearson, the executive director of the Illinois State Rifle Association, said the delays are some sort of "form of political retribution."

"Law-abiding gun owners put forth a good faith effort to comply with the law," said Pearson. "Nonetheless, they face felony prosecution because the Illinois State Police cannot, or will not, live up to the agency's legal obligations."

Readers had a lot to say about the situation, too.

Larry Mason of Macomb e-mailed this note: "I believe that this is an intentional slowdown. It is time for Illinois lawmakers to eliminate the FOID card for Illinois citizens. The FOID card does nothing to prevent crime."

Ed Nichols related his experience in dealing with the state, saying the application process is worrisome because gun owners are required to give a lot of sensitive and personal information to the state, including a picture, Social Security number, signature and checking account numbers.

"In this age of identity theft, the people of Illinois deserve expedient service and vigilant accountability of their personal information when it is requested and required by a state agency. As of this date they receive neither," Nichols wrote.

Marilyn Westenborg e-mailed to say, "Illinois' stupid FOID cards may be good for only 5 years, but the 2nd Amendment is good 24/7. The good citizens of Illinois need to vote the dictatorial tyrants out of office."

And James Cordts of Decatur said, "It's a fact that our current governor is anti-gun. I believe the current lack of staffing and delays are just another attempt by the anti-gun people to discourage gun ownership. If government is going to pass laws and regulations, then the people have the right to demand that this government provide a way to comply with its laws."

For the governor, the message from gun owners was clear last week: Though he may have gotten a few of their votes in 2002, he's not done a whole lot to win any of them as he heads into a re-election campaign.

Preach on Downstate Illinois, you don't have anything to be silent about. Let's show a little unity on this matter for a change and maybe we can finally make something happen.