DECATUR -Floyd Jenkins said the government trusted him enough to handle all sorts of guns in Southeast Asia as a young Marine.

But the veteran has gotten nothing but hassles and headaches from the state as he tried to renew a card to own a gun legally as a private citizen.

"I can go over to Vietnam and fight for these people, but I come back here and my own country tries to deny me my right to own a gun," Jenkins said. "I think it's the government's way of just slowly trying to take away people's right to own guns."

Jenkins finally received his new firearm card on Saturday, but he doubts his troubles are over.

Gun owners in Illinois are required to possess a Firearm Owner's Identification card, commonly called a FOID. The card was created by state legislation in 1968 as a way to identify people who are allowed to possess firearms and ammunition.

Felons and people convicted of domestic violence are among those ineligible to own a FOID card.

"I don't have no criminal record - never have," Jenkins said. "I've never been convicted of a felony crime or anything like that."

So what's the problem?

Each time Jenkins applies for a FOID card, he receives a form letter from the Illinois State Police alerting him to a 1975 arrest by Decatur police for aggravated battery.

Jenkins said he was acting in self-defense when his brother was attacked by several men. No charges were ever filed.

He is instructed by the state police to send a certified statement from the circuit clerk to prove there was no criminal conviction.

Jenkins has sent certified statements over the years documenting he was never convicted. He even had the arrest expunged by the court and the records sealed in 1997.

"There was no charge against me," Jenkins said. "I didn't have to go to court."

Still, about a decade after the arrest was expunged, Jenkins struggled to get his new FOID card approved.

"I'm not a felon; I've never committed a felony," Jenkins said. "It's just ridiculous to me that I have to go through this every four years, like a ritual."

An exasperated Jenkins finally received his FOID card on Saturday after contacting the Herald & Review and the office of Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Lt. Scott Compton, spokesman for the Illinois State Police, said last week that Jenkins should receive his FOID card soon, and the problem with Jenkins' record has been corrected.

"They have rectified that situation regarding his record, so that shouldn't happen the next time," Compton said.

He has heard similar assurances from the state for more than a decade.

"Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me," Jenkins said. "And this is more than twice."

Jenkins hopes a more effective and efficient system can be devised for reviewing FOID card applications.

"The state legislature needs to look into this," Jenkins said.

Every time Jenkins reapplies for a FOID card, he receives the same form letter from the state police. He then navigates a labyrinth of bureaucratic offices locally and in Springfield, attempting to prove he is not a felon.

Jenkins said he was arrested in 1975 after he helped his brother defend himself, but no charges were filed.

"Five guys tried to jump him," Jenkins said. "I intervened because it was five of them trying to jump him, and those guys ended up getting the worst of it."

Jenkins said he acted in self-defense.

"I was trying to get my brother, and they tried to attack me," Jenkins said. "So, I defended myself. And my brother, he had a 2-by-4 swinging, and they ended up taking me and my brother to jail because these guys got sent to the hospital.

"Two of them got it pretty good. These guys had weapons there themselves, so what were we supposed to do? I was trying to get my brother, keep him from getting hurt. One of the guys swung and hit me. That's how I got involved."

Jenkins said he was taken into custody while police sorted out the matter. He was soon released and no charges were filed.

Jenkins gets nervous about recurring delays in approving his FOID card application.

He said he sent in his application for a new FOID card more than a month before the old card expired.

"I own guns and my firearms card expired Jan. 1," Jenkins said. "They do this to me every time. It makes me a criminal."

Jenkins isn't the first firearm owner to face delays in receiving a new gun card.

The Herald & Review's Springfield bureau reported last year that the state police failed to renew FOID cards in a timely fashion. A renewal backlog stretched to 50 days.

Following the report, the state police announced it would hire additional employees.

The Illinois State Police Web site says 4,642 applications were denied and 6,926 FOID cards were revoked in 2002 after an "extensive review process" that identifies people ineligible to possess firearms and ammunition.

Jenkins wonders how many others are legally entitled to a FOID card but don't have one because of related hassles.

"They want the public to think they're keeping guns out of the hands of felons," Jenkins said. "In reality, some of them are probably law-abiding citizens, but they probably just don't persist like I do."

Jenkins hopes his persistence can inspire others wandering a bureaucratic maze of governmental layers to resolve their problems.

"If I can help someone else, I'll feel a whole lot better."

Mike Frazier can be reached at mfrazier@herald-review.com or 421-7985.