In the first two weeks of June, more than 42,000 people in Illinois applied for a gun permit, the Chicago Tribune reported on Thursday, citing data from the Illinois State Police.

The reasons seem to come down to the obvious ones: the COVID-19 pandemic, violent protests and looting, and the upcoming presidential election in November.

The Chicago Tribune piece points out that in just one day this month, applications for FOID cards were upwards of 5,000. At this time last year there were around 7,000 total applications.

Another comparison would be that in December, January, and February there were about 48,000 FOID card applications here in Illinois.

According to the Tribune, some of the people applying for permits are first-time gun owners who may have supported gun control in the past, but who are now buying guns to protect themselves.

One anonymous source told the newspaper that though he is “a very liberal Democrat,” his view on gun laws have changed. He reportedly applied for his first gun permit in March.

“The recent social unrest of a divisive president, the pandemic and dramatic rise in unemployment, and the more recent social unrest because of the way we police in this country have all been reasons that have prompted my recent application," he reportedly told the Tribune.

 

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