Taylorville, Illinois man accused of falsifying information on FOID card application
A Taylorville man is accused of hiding a felony conviction on his application for a state Firearm Owner Identification card.
Patrick Nichols, 60, of Taylorville, was charged Thursday in Christian County Circuit Court with two felony counts of violating the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act and two felony counts of forgery. In a statement, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said Nichols failed to disclose a felony conviction in North Carolina, where he was convicted of a crime against nature.
The FOID Card Act prohibits anyone with felony convictions, regardless of whether they take place in Illinois or in another state, from obtaining any kind of firearm.
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Nichols pleaded not guilty and asked for a jury trial. Pre-trial hearings are set for Aug. 11.
Raoul said in the statement that the state was committed to making sure that those not legally allowed to have guns do not obtain or use them.
"Individuals who skirt Illinois law to obtain firearms they are not legally able to possess need to be held accountable," Raoul said. "I will continue partnering with the Illinois State Police and law enforcement agencies across the state to work to reduce gun violence by making sure firearms do not get into the hands of those who should not legally have them."
Contact Zach Roth: (217) 899-4338; ZDRoth@gannett.com; @ZacharyRoth13
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Illinois man charged with forging information on firearm application
