Crime & Safety

Sheriff Flags 240 Conceal-Carry Applications

Applicants flagged for histories of gun crimes, gang ties, orders of protection and more.

South suburbanites led the jackpot in objections raised to conceal and carry gun applications among Cook County suburban areas, clocking in with 54.

The Cook County Sheriff’s Office released its summary of applications for the first month of Illinois's concealed-carry law, flagging the applications of 240 individuals.

Among the 240 applicants, five have already been denied by the Illinois State Police.

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The Illinois Concealed Carry Licensing Board will review and decide the merits of the remaining 234, Dart said in a written statement.

Objections have been raised to 118 individuals residing in Chicago, while 97 reside in suburban Cook County, including:

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  • South suburbs - 54

  • Central suburbs - 24

  • North suburbs - 19

  • Twenty-five applicants currently reside outside of Cook County, but the law stipulates that the sheriff’s office review conceal-carry applications of individuals that resided in Cook at some point within the past 10 years.

    Justifications for the objections, with many applicants falling into multiple categories, include:

    • Domestic Violence – 88

    • Gun Crimes – 77

    • Battery/Assault – 52

    • Orders of Protection – 29

  • Aggravated Battery/Assault – 27

  • Gang Activity – 12

  • Burglary/Theft – 10

  • Sex Crimes – 4

  • False Impersonation – 4

  • Drugs – 4

  • Mental Illness – 1

  • Other – 16


  • The number includes 14 individuals certified as concealed-carry training instructors by the Illinois State Police.

    Other objections were raised based on applicants' criminal arrests and convictions for gun offenses, gang activities, battery and a host of others.

    According to the Sheriff’s Police breakdown:

    • One applicant has been arrested 20 times and twice convicted, including 12 arrests for theft, three for battery--including two domestic batteries and two for resisting a peace officer.
    • Another applicant has been arrested 12 times, with one conviction, including gun-related offenses such as aggravated battery with a firearm, failure to keep a record of firearm transfer and defacing firearm markings. The applicant has also been arrested for assault and battery.
    • An additional applicant has been arrested nine times, with one conviction, including a criminal history of gun crimes such as unlawful use of a weapon and two aggravated assaults with a firearm. The applicant has also been arrested twice for battery – including domestic battery – as well as resisting a peace officer.

    Twelve applicants were also flagged for gang ties, including four who are affiliated with Latin Kings, and the rest claiming affiliation with the Gangster Disciples, Satan Disciples, the Insane Unknowns, and the New Breeds. The remaining four objections were based on documented gang activity or arrests, such as gang loitering.

    Since Illinois's conceal-carry law took effect Jan. 1, the Sheriff's Office has devoted in excess of 2,000 combined staff hours on concealed carry applications.

    The process has been split among 25 employees, several of whom are full-time, In some instances, individuals have been pulled away from their usual responsibilities, such as criminal intelligence and police patrol.

    Source: Cook County Sheriff





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