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Published On: February 11, 2025 Updated: February 11, 2025 BYLarry Z
When a law makes self-defense illegal, you know something’s wrong. That’s exactly what an Illinois Circuit Court judge just ruled in State of Illinois v. Vivian Claudine Brown, a case backed by the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and the Illinois State Rifle Association.
The court struck down Illinois’ Firearm Owner Identification (FOID) card requirement for possessing a firearm in the home—and honestly, it’s about time.
- Judge Drops the Hammer on Illinois’ FOID Scheme
- A Battle Won, But the War Ain’t Over
- What’s Next?
Judge T. Scott Webb didn’t mince words in his decision. He made it clear that Ms. Brown—a law-abiding citizen—was well within her Second Amendment rights when she kept a .22 rifle in her own home, FOID card or not.
And he took the state’s logic to the woodshed.
“If an intruder had entered Ms. Brown’s home,” the judge noted, “and threatened violence towards her and, God forbid, she was forced to use that .22 rifle to defend herself, she would have committed a class A misdemeanor carrying with it a possible penalty of up to 364 days in the county jail.”
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Imagine that—defend yourself, go to jail. That’s the kind of upside-down thinking the FOID law promotes.
Judge Webb called it what it is: “asinine.”
This case has been bouncing around Illinois courts like a bad check. Alan Gottlieb, SAF’s Executive VP, pointed out that the state will likely appeal again—meaning we could see this case land before the Illinois Supreme Court for a third time.
“It’s hard to see how the Illinois Supreme Court avoids the constitutional issue, as they have done on the previous two visits,” Gottlieb said.
In other words, Illinois’ anti-gun politicians are running out of places to hide.
SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut also laid it out plainly:
“Illinois’ FOID card poses an untenable barrier to the exercise of Second Amendment rights in one’s home.”
He’s right. Forcing people to jump through government hoops just to keep a firearm in their own home is unconstitutional—and this ruling drives that point home.
Illinois officials will likely fight tooth and nail to keep their restrictive gun laws in place, but this ruling is a big step toward dismantling one of the worst gun control schemes in the country.
The Second Amendment Foundation isn’t backing down, and neither should we. This case is proof that when we push back, we win. Stay tuned, because Illinois may have just lost a major battle in its war on gun rights.
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