Gun Crimes

In 2014, Illinois became the last state to allow gun owners the right to carry concealed firearms, and while a large number of concealed carry permits were issued that year, applications statewide for these permits have been on a steady decline, aside from a slight increase in 2016. The exception to this trend, however, is […]

In 2013, the Illinois legislature voted to override then Gov. Quinn’s amendatory veto and approved the state’s first Concealed Carry Act. The Illinois Firearm Concealed Carry Act allows duly licensed and thoroughly vetted individuals to carry concealed handguns (both loaded or unloaded). The concealed carry policy includes a stringent list of criteria and thorough application

There is little question that gun laws in Illinois are still among the toughest in the nation. While it may not be evident based on the amount of gun violence reported on the streets of Chicago and other Illinois cities, the reality is that the illegal possession or use of a firearm can lead to

Despite the efforts of some municipalities to ban gun ownership or the sale and transfer of weapons within their city limits, owning a firearm in Illinois is completely legal. However, it is important that law-abiding citizens follow the procedures for the purchase and use of guns to ensure that they do not jeopardize their 2nd

Fireworks have been used as a form of celebration around the world for about 1,500 years—longer if you count pre-gunpowder displays featuring fire and bamboo. Thus, on certain holidays, including Independence Day, it is hardly unusual to hear the screams of whistling fountains, the bangs of bottle rockets, and the percussive booms of large flowering

It is no secret that the incidence of weapons violations in Chicago is high. Just last summer, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that more than 5,500 illegal guns were seized from January to September of 2016. The data reveals that law enforcement authorities are seizing more illegal guns in Chicago than anywhere else in the U.S.

Not too long ago, an Illinois man was charged with first-degree attempted murder, aggravated battery, and aggravated discharge of a firearm after allegedly shooting two sheriff’s deputies outside his home using a semi-automatic assault rifle. The man’s aunt has since been charged with unlawfully supplying that weapon to her nephew, whose firearm owner’s identification card

Generally speaking, if a person possesses an Illinois Firearm Owner’s Identification Card (FOID), he or she may own a firearm, as long as it complies with all other relevant Illinois laws. If that person also holds a valid concealed carry permit, he or she may then carry their weapon in that manner. However, many gun

In most states across the U.S., conviction on a felony charge can lead to a person losing many civil rights, some temporarily and others permanently. In Illinois, one of the rights a person stands to lose upon conviction of felony charges is the right to firearms ownership. While the loss of this right is not

The Second Amendment guarantees the right of United States citizens to keep and bear arms, but that right is not absolute and may not be exercised with unbridled abandon. Occasionally, the average layman may misunderstand the scope of weapons regulations , or even willfully decide to violate them. Either way, an attorney knowledgeable on the

The state of Illinois has long been known for its strict laws regarding the ownership of firearms and other issues related to weapons. In fact, Illinois was the last state in the nation to even create a process for issuing concealed carry permits, doing so in 2012 only after a federal appeals court found that

Chicago may be the epicenter of gun violence in Illinois, but it is not the only place in the state that experiences serious violent crimes as a result of illegal gun ownership. There were reportedly 1,117 deaths in the state of Illinois caused by guns in 2013. Just over half of all these were ruled