Gun buyback backfires: 10
missing guns
Libertarian Party Chairman files suit
against Cook County Sheriff's Department.
January 24, 2001
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Matt
Beauchamp or Stephanie Sailor
Click
here for more information on the case, including a detailed history behind
the lawsuit.
Libertarian
Party of Chicago chairman Matt Beauchamp
named the Cook County Sheriff's Department in a suit filed in circuit court
today. The suit seeks to obtain information on the whereabouts of guns purchased
during Sheriff Sheahan's "Safe Streets, Safe Neighborhoods 2000" gun
buyback project held in September 1999. The program, which cost taxpayers over
$200,000, was designed to reduce crime by getting guns off the streets and into
safe hands. Criminals were allowed to turn in their guns with no questions
asked.
However, a number of those guns have
apparently "vanished into thin air," says Beauchamp. According to
information obtained under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, the
Sheriff's Department turned the guns over to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and
Firearms. Cook County officials claimed that 10 of the guns were classified as
antique by the BATF and placed in museums around the country. However, BATF
disclosure agent Peter Chisholm disputed those facts. He claimed that BATF only
traced the guns' serial numbers to check for stolen weapons.
"It appears this program was a great way
for criminals to get rid of evidence with no questions asked. The Sheriff even
handed them crisp $50 bills for their trouble. I'm very curious to know what
happened to these guns. Either Sheriff Sheahan has something to hide or he
thinks he's above the law. Both prospects are unsettling to me," states
Beauchamp.
Beauchamp also charges that the department
violated numerous federal and state firearms laws. Approximately one third
of the purchased guns had their serial numbers removed or defaced and deputies
neglected to keep proper records as required by Illinois law. The suit was filed
after repeated requests for information were ignored or denied by the Sheriff's
Department's FOIA agent, Illinois State's Attorney Jim Ryan. ###
Contact: Matt
Beauchamp or Stephanie Sailor
Click
here for more information on the case, including
a detailed history behind the lawsuit.
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