I live in Chicago. How would the challenge process start?
The NRA is aready on it.
There would have to be some action on the part of government, I would think. Either you have to be arrested for breaking a law which you could then challenge, or you’d have to be denied a license after applying like Heller was. Just the mere existence of a law you don’t agree with isn’t enough because it’s hard to show you’ve been harmed by the law. If you’ve been arrested and facing some penalty for breaking the law it’s obvious that you would be in a better condition were the law not on the books.
First you need standing to sue. That means a wrong has to directly be committed against you. An arrest for having a gun is the most obvious, and I do not recommend that approach at all.
What are the FOID cards in Illinois and how does that system work? If you can get ahold of Bob Levy at the Cato Institute, that's the guy to talk to about this if you are serious about challenging, or know someone who is serious. The right test case can make the difference between winning or losing. If Heller was a stereotypical "gun nut", he'd lose.