10-Month Old Baby Obtains Illinois State Gun Permit

Wahh! Boo hoo!

“The 10-month-old, nicknamed “Bubba”, whose given name is Howard David Ludwig, was issued a firearm owner’s identification card after his father, Howard Ludwig, paid the $5 fee and filled out the application, not expecting to actually get one. The card lists the baby’s height (2 feet, 3 inches), weight (20 pounds) and has a scribble where the signature should be.

With some exceptions, the cards are required of any Illinois residents purchasing or possessing firearms or ammunition within the state. There are no age restrictions on the cards, an official said. Illinois State Police oversee the application process. Their purpose, said Lt. Scott Compton, is to keep guns out of the hands of convicted felons, those under an order of protection and those convicted of domestic violence. “Does a 10-month-old need a FOID card? No, but there are no restrictions under the act regarding age of applicants,” he said.”

Some details emerged from this wahh! boo hoo! story. I complied them from other sources:

– Bubba’s dad applied for an Illinois firearms card and on his third attempt, the infant was approved to legally own a firearm… the card allows the infant to own a firearm and transport one unloaded. Bubba’s new firearms owner ID features a smiling photo of the infant and a scribbled signature the 10-month-old threw together with his father’s help.

– Bubba’s father [is] a columnist for The (Tinley Park) Daily Southtown… [he] writes a weekly column about parenting and chronicled the path that led to his son’s FOID card in Sunday’s newspaper… His own father has taken up trap shooting as a hobby, and wanted to buy his grandson a special gift that could turn into a family heirloom. He settled on a 12-gauge Beretta shotgun… Ludwig’s father intends to have the shotgun engraved with Bubba’s full name. He’ll probably keep possession of the firearm in his home in Chicago’s suburbs until his grandson is at least 14.

– The application got sent back twice, the first time because Ludwig forgot to check the box that said Bubba was a U.S. citizen, the second because he forgot to specify he was Bubba’s father.

Meanwhile, in Minnesota:

“Carey McWilliams has been blind since the age of ten and is trying to get a concealed weapons permit in Minnesota. He already has a carry permit in North Dakota, where he lives, and in Utah. McWilliams says he followed all the rules in Minnesota, including a required class, and has shown proficiency on the firing range. McWilliams says brains are more important than eyesight when it comes to public safety. A judge has turned down his request for a permit. Now, McWilliams says Minnesota officials have violated his constitutional right to keep and bear arms. He adds it’s nobody’s business that he’s blind.”