Sheriff’s Office recovers more than 80 illegally owned guns
SUN-TIMES MEDIA WIRE April 30, 2013 10:44AM
Guns recovered from revoked FOID cardholders in Cook County. / photo from Cook County Sheriff's office
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Updated: April 30, 2013 10:44AM
The Cook County Sheriff’s new Gun Suppression Unit has recovered more than 80 illegally owned guns and 100 revoked Firearm Owner Identification cards in less than two months, the sheriff’s office announced Tuesday.
Since the Gun Suppression Unit was launched seven weeks ago, 106 revoked FOID cards and 83 guns — including four assault weapons — have been recovered, the sheriff’s office said in a release.
The most common reasons a person is prohibited from possessing a firearm is because they have been convicted of a felony, poses a risk to themselves or others, or have an order of protection issued against them.
One person with a revoked FOID card was in possession of 20 guns, the release said.
Nearly 4,000 revoked FOID cardholders in Cook County have not returned their cards to the Illinois State Police, the release said.
A person with a revoked FOID card cannot purchase a firearm from a dealer, but can still buy ammunition since background checks are not required for ammunition purchases.
“These statistics are unquestionably evidence systemic failure in our current FOID process that puts the public at risk,” Dart said in the release. “We have to get serious about enforcement — about recognizing that the center of the epidemic of gun violence is that weapons are in the wrong hands.”
