South Central Reporter

State Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) argues his unyielding support for policies like the Second Amendment is as real as it gets.

“I don’t just talk about my support,” Bailey recently posted on Twitter. “I vote in favor of it and I exercise it.”

Now seeking the Republican nomination for governor, Bailey wants voters to know that’s the same approach he will take throughout his time in the Governor’s Mansion.

“Darren led the charge against sweeping executive orders that shuttered Illinois businesses, collapsed the economy, and deprived hardworking Illinoisans of their livelihoods,” reads a page on his website. “A complete return to normalcy is a top priority for Darren. As Governor, he will work to fully reopen the economy and our schools, attract new business, and fuel job creation in Illinois.”  

Bailey pledges to defend conservative positions on taxes, government transparency and abortion, where he vows to “continue to defend innocent life.”

And with the processing of FOID (Firearm Owners Identification card) card applications drastically slowed by the pandemic, Bailey filed legislation aimed at totally eliminating the FOID program.

“FOID cards may have served a purpose in the days before comprehensive and often instant background checks were possible or feasible, but that’s not the case anymore,” he said. “The state has been unable or unwilling to keep up with FOID card applications, turning the program into a major roadblock for law-abiding gun owners. It’s time to void the FOID and restore people’s God-given constitutional rights.”

Senate Bill 1948 is currently assigned to the Senate Executive Committee’s Firearms Subcommittee.

Originally put in place to help keep guns out of the hands of criminals by requiring applicants to submit to a background check before being granted the card needed to make a firearms purchase, the program has come under heavy criticism of late as the application process has been slowed by a backlog.

Even as funding for the program has increased, several media outlets have reported card applicants have recently been forced to endure average wait times of nearly four months. The process also now requires a background check at the time of purchase, prompting critics to point to the duplication in operations.

“It’s unacceptable to me to think someone would have to wait four months to be able to defend themselves and take part in their constitutional rights, especially when the FOID system no longer serves a real purpose,” Bailey said. “There is no point in requiring people to have had a background check already in place to get their FOID card, just to get another background check performed every time they purchase a gun.”