'Violence Tax' Goes into Effect in Cook County

A lawsuit supported in part by Chuck’s Gun Shop in south suburban Riverdale is not enough to get in the way of President Preckwinkle’s new $25 firearm sales tax.

Beginning April 1, a $25 tax will be added to the purchase of all firearms sold in Cook County. The news comes in spite of a lawsuit filed by several Chicago-area gun dealers, including Chuck’s Gun Shop in Riverdale. The new tax is part of a policy instated by Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle to help fund the Cook County Health and Hospitals System. At their flagship, Stroger Hospital, more than 30 percent of the trauma center patients are gunshot victims, each costing roughly $50,000 to treat, according to Preckinkle. The $600,000 expected annual revenue from the tax will ideally help offset those costs, reports Sun-Times Media. "This new policy will help us provide more resources to our vital public health system, which on a daily …

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More Than $2.2 Million in Non-local Money Spent in 2nd District Race

Gun control was the epicenter of the 2nd District primary, and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is on the winning side.

More than $2.2 million was spent to ensure victory for the staunchly anti-gun Robin Kelly in last night’s 2nd District primary special election. The money came from New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s personal Super PAC, Independence USA. His ultimate intent, according to the New York Times, is to establish a sizeable national base of anti-gun representatives in anticipation of supporting upcoming gun legislation. “As Congress considers the president’s gun package, voters in Illinois have sent a clear message: we need common-sense gun legislation now,” Bloomberg said. His words align with the crux of Kelly’s victory speech. "(Voters) sent a message that tells the NRA that their days of holding our country hostage are coming to an end,” …

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Dinkum

7:26 am on Friday, March 1, 2013

And the US has a violence problem, not a gun problem. And if you do the research, it happens at a higher rate in certain communities (as you would expect) and with certain groups (as you would expect). When innocent people are killed, this is a human tragedy. But the government passing more laws will not stop this. It never does.   more ›

Unknown Gunman Robs Halsted Business

Police are on the lookout for an armed robber after a heist at JJ Fish.

Homewood police have launched an investigation into the armed robbery of JJ Fish at 18226 Halsted St., on Feb. 14 just before 9:30 p.m., according to Deputy Chief Denise McGrath. Police say the man brandished a handgun and demanded cash from the register. No other information is currently being released. An investigation is ongoing. Get in on the conversation. Join Patch today. Like H-F Patch on Facebook

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New Law Cracks Down On Lost Guns

Cook County passed an ordinance Tuesday afternoon mandating any lost weapons be reported to the Sheriff within two days.

New Law Cracks Down On Lost Guns

Cook County passed an ordinance Tuesday afternoon mandating any lost weapons be reported to the Sheriff within two days.

Gun owners who sell, lose, destroy, transfer or have a firearm stolen in the county are now legally required to report it to the Sheriff’s office within 48 hours thanks to a new Cook County ordinance. The new law, passed Tuesday afternoon, will require firearm owners report the make, model and serial number of the stolen firearm, along with the date and location of purchase.   Individuals who fail to comply will be subject to an initial $1,000 fine, followed by $1,500 for each gun on the second offense and $2,000 for each subsequent violation, according to a press release from the county. Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle applauded the passage of the ordinance. She says it’s a step in the right direction. “We are giving law …

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Homewood Skaters Robbed At Gunpoint

The two armed robbers fled the scene before police could locate them.

Police are on the lookout for two armed robbers who stole over $1000 worth of property from a group of skaters at Extreme Scene Skatepark, 18350 Harwood Ave. on Dec. 6, according to reports. The group was skating around 4:30 p.m. when the robbers approached with a gun, police say. They stole the following: The group of skaters left the scene and moved over to 183rd Street and Harwood Avenue where they called police, according to the report. Officers immediately surveyed the skatepark but they could not locate the robbers, the report said. The skatepark robbers are both described as black men, roughly 18 years old. One has a light complexion, the other, dark. Police report information is provided by the Homewood Police Department and other …

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Court Strikes Down Illinois' Concealed-Carry Ban

An appeals court has decided Illinois' ban on carrying a weapon in public is unconstitutional.

A U.S. appeals court has ruled Illinois' ban on carrying a weapon in public is unconstitutional, according to the Chicago Tribune. Under the 2-1 ruling, the state would have to allow residents to carry weapons. But the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has given lawmakers 180 days to "craft a new gun law that will impose reasonable limitations, consistent with the public safety and the Second Amendment as interpreted in this opinion, on the carrying of guns in public," the Tribune reports.  Illinois is the only state to not have some form of conceal carry, the Tribune said.  Here are some excerpts from the court's opinion:  "We are disinclined to engage in another round of historical analysis to determine whether eighteenth-century …

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Homewood Police Search for Armed Robbers

The Homewood Police Department are asking for residents' help in locating two men who robbed a Halsted Street T-Mobile store Dec. 3 around 8 p.m.

Homewood Police are looking for two men who robbed the Halsted T-Mobile store at gunpoint around 8 p.m. Dec. 3, according to a press release from the department. Police say the two, armed thieves grabbed cell phones and cash before fleeing the scene in an unknown direction. Nobody was injured. Police are describing the first bandit as a thin black man, just shy of 6 feet tall. He had facial hair and was wearing a blue, Nike hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans, according to the release. The second man is described as black and just over 5-feet, 6-inches tall. He was wearing a tan jacket and blue jeans at the time of the robbery. Photos of both offenders are included in the media viewer. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Homewood …

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Driving With a Loaded Gun, Batterer Cries Self-Defense: Homewood Police Blotter

Homewood police reports, Dec. 22-26

MONDAY, DEC. 26 Sherrie L. Ordaz, 39, of the 6600 block of 165th Street in Tinley Park, was charged with driving under the influence and improper lane usage. Police said they stopped Ordaz’s car near Dixie Highway and Cedar Road around 11:30 p.m. after it drove off the roadway, struck a curb and fishtailed. She was arrested after failing breath and field sobriety tests, according to the report. SUNDAY, DEC. 25 Rori Windmon, 42, of the 19300 block of Chestnut Drive in Country Club Hills, was charged with battery. Police said Windmon hit a man in the face inside a senior citizens complex in the 900 block of Maple Road around 8 p.m. According to the report, the man found Windmon in his mother’s apartment and confronted him. Windmon said the …

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Flossmoor Man Thwarts Gunman with Pocketknife

Flossmoor police have issued a warning based on the New Year's Eve skirmish.

An attempted armed robbery has prompted a neighborhood community alert from the Flossmoor Police Department this afternoon. Police say a Flossmoor man was exiting his vehicle on Dec. 31 on the 1700 block of Tina Lane around 6 p.m. when he was confronted by an African-American man brandishing a “small caliber weapon.” He then demanded money from the victim, but the Flossmoor man thwarted the gunman’s plans with the help of a pocketknife, according to police. The offender is described as roughly 6 feet tall and he was wearing a black jacket with red-and-white stripes on the sleeve. Flossmoor police are seeking help from anyone who may have information related to the case.

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