A concern of unqualified people able to carry firearms weighs on Cook County officials. State permits might inadvertently be issued to such individuals allowing them to carry weapons for self-defense. At stake is the fact that Illinois State Police are developing a process to issue the permits that allow people to carry a holstered pistol in public.

One of the qualifications for getting a concealed carry permit is that an individual first have a firearm owner’s identification card.

But within Cook County, the sheriff’s department estimates that about 4,000 people have had their FOID card privileges revoked. Yet that does not mean the actual card has been taken away from them.