innerpiece
Member
heres the link Tech.. as posted in the OP.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/services/site/premium/access-registered.intercept
http://www.chicagotribune.com/services/site/premium/access-registered.intercept
I pitty thhose who jump to the defence of anybody who has a firearm and gets in trouble for doing something illegal with it..
Sears Tower tourist caught with handgun
Tennessee woman thought pistol in purse legal, cops say
By Alexa Aguilar
Tribune staff reporter
Published July 6, 2007
A tourist from Tennessee was arrested at the Sears Tower on Thursday morning after she tried to visit the Skydeck with a loaded gun in her purse, police said.
Stephanie Warren, 56, of Memphis was waiting to see the Chicago skyline from the top of Chicago's tallest attraction when she placed her bag on the belt of the security machine, police said.
Inside the purse was a loaded .38-caliber revolver, police said.
Warren, whom a neighbor described as "responsible pillar of the community," is licensed to carry the gun in Tennessee, which allows its citizens to have concealed weapons.
"It didn't dawn on her that our state did not have the same gun laws as hers did," said police spokeswoman Monique Bond.
In Illinois, carrying a loaded weapon is against state law; Chicago also has an ordinance prohibiting it.
Police pulled her from the line of tourists waiting to go through the ground-floor metal detectors and later took her into custody, where she remained for most of the day. Her companion watched as the police car carrying Warren inside pulled away.
"There was no intent," he repeated to a police officer, then wondered aloud what he was going to do alone all day. The two had driven from Tennessee and are staying at a hotel in Michigan, Bond said.
No visitors were in any danger, and there was no interruption for the dozens of tourists awaiting the elevator ride to the Skydeck, Bond said. Police recommended that Warren be charged with a felony for unlawful use of a weapon, she said.
"We would like people to recognize how serious this is. ... We take our gun laws very seriously," Bond said.
Prosecutors instead decided to file misdemeanor charges, said John Gorman, spokesman for the Cook County state's attorney's office.
Warren has no criminal history and had no intent to harm anyone, he said.
Rodney Ware, who lives next to Warren in Memphis, described her as a great neighbor who volunteers in her community. Ware said he works in the security-conscious airline industry, so he understands that travelers must be aware of different state laws. But he was concerned about his neighbor's trouble so far from Memphis, he said.
"Stephanie just needs to get home," he said.
About 1.3 million tourists visit the Sears Tower annually. As one of the city's most notable landmarks, security at the building has increased substantially since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
A spokesman for the building management did not return a call seeking comment.
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Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune
Tourist with handgun arrested at Sears Tower
LOOP | Allegedly thought concealed weapons were OK
July 6, 2007
BY ANNIE SWEENEY Staff Reporter [email protected]
A Tennessee woman visiting the Sears Tower with her husband Thursday morning was caught with a loaded .38-caliber handgun in her purse, authorities said.
Stephanie Warren, 56, allegedly was stopped at the metal detectors at 9:30 a.m. by security personnel who then called police, said Chicago Police Department spokeswoman Monique Bond.
During her arrest, Warren told officers that Tennessee has conceal and carry laws, police said.
Authorities say she might have thought it was OK to carry the gun in Illinois as well.
Warren, of Memphis, is charged with one count each of unlawful use of a weapon, no firearm owner's identification card, and failure to register a handgun, all misdemeanors, police said.
She is slated for a hearing Sept. 6 in Misdemeanor Court, he said.
Security was tightened at the Sears Tower and Chicago's other landmark buildings in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Charging her for not having an FOID is very interesting, because Illinois doesn't issue FOIDs to nonresidents generally. Failure to register a handgun sounds like a Chicago ordinance violation.Warren, of Memphis, is charged with one count each of unlawful use of a weapon, no firearm owner's identification card, and failure to register a handgun, all misdemeanors, police said.
Originally posted by wdlsguy:Charging her for not having an FOID is very interesting, because Illinois doesn't issue FOIDs to nonresidents generally. Failure to register a handgun sounds like a Chicago ordinance violation.
Ignorance of the law has never been an excuse.