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While the state has developed programs and enforced laws in an attempt to reduce violence, Illinois, and specifically the city of Chicago, is still experiencing a large number of weapons crimes. The University of Chicago Crime Lab created a study to determine just how common these incidents are. In examining police reports, researchers noticed some trends. State and city officials had been working to reduceContinue reading

A criminal record can have a major effect on several aspects of your life for years to come, including the jobs you can apply for. For this reason, many citizens in Illinois seek to have their records expunged and the charges erased. The first step in knowing if this is a possibility for you is knowing who qualifies for this action. The laws of IllinoisContinue reading

Being charged with a weapons crime can mean hefty fines and penalties, but you may not even realize you are committing a crime in the first place. When it comes to air rifles, the laws are not as well-known and can be confusing to some. Municode.com details the laws concerning air rifles in Ohio and how you can legally use them. First, it is important that youContinue reading

Hopefully, everyone (or at least most people) know that you cannot threaten to attack a school. Numerous school shooting from Columbine to Sandy Hook have put school administrators and police on edge about the risk of another school shooting. In response, various states have passed laws prohibiting even threats against schools and making them crimes punishable as a felony, even if there were no overt actsContinue reading

There is a lot of popular rhetoric surrounding the legality of guns. You can buy them at stores but must submit to a background check. You can purchase them at trade shows but not in every state. It is enough to make anyone’s head dizzy with conflicting information. In this uncertain atmosphere, do you even know if you can buy a gun for someone else? ThisContinue reading

Robbery is a complicated crime. It can be charged as a felony or as a misdemeanor. It can turn into burglary, theft when no victim is present, or into robbery, theft when a victim is present. In short, robbery is complicated, this post will go over the nature of robbery and how its charge may affect you. Robbery is a “wobbler” crime. Wobblers are chargesContinue reading

Chicago passed another milestone last weekend, at 3,029, it has now had more shootings in 2016 than it has since the 1990s. On the good side, at 480, the number of fatal shootings is about half what it was during the same period, in the early 1990s. But those numbers are still significantly higher than other comparable metropolitan cities including New York and Los Angeles.Continue reading

The Guardian newspaper undertook a major project to study gun crimes in the United States. The Guardian relied on data collected by the FBI as part of the Uniform Crime Reports. The crime database is incomplete because not all states collect data on gun crimes, specifically Alabama and Florida regarding gun murders. The United States has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the world. In theContinue reading

It is a relatively common line that not only does Chicago have the strictest gun laws in the country but that they are woefully ineffective at preventing gun deaths. But it appears those are merely popular misconceptions. Chicago’s gun laws are no more restrictive than other comparable major cities, i.e. Los Angeles and New York. Moreover, police contend that gang members face far more severe consequences fromContinue reading

In 2007, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that a weapons enhancement was unenforceable because it imposed a harsher penalty than a second, corresponding law in violation of the state constitution proportionality clause. An enhancement is a secondary sentence that the judge can impose on a convicted defendant. Often enhancements can greatly increase the time a particular person spends behind bars. To get around the court ruling, the Illinois legislature approvedContinue reading