Dear Editor:
Saturday's News Tribune included an article about a felon who was arrested while in possession of a gun. Are even those who want to strip citizens of more of their "right to bear arms" so nave as to believe the federal government will attempt to enforce current laws against this person?
We don't need more laws until government starts enforcing the ones we have!
18 USC § 922(g) & (n) states that a felon convicted of possessing a firearm, or even ammunition, can be imprisoned for 10 years. If the offender has three or more prior convictions for a felony crime of violence and/or drug trafficking felony, they can be sentenced to a minimum of 15 years.
Mr. McIlwain, the person arrested, is a felon. He has been convicted three times for driving while revoked. He had recently been released from jail after serving 60 days for one of those convictions. He told officers he needed the gun for protection when he was selling drugs.
We have all heard about the crime wave in Chicago. One article I found claimed that in the last three years only 344 gun-related prosecutions were filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, there were 8,426 incidents of gun violence.
In October 2016 the Chicago Sun Times reported that their analysis of court records showed that federal weapons charges in Chicago actually fell over the previous five years, even though the number of murders in Chicago hit a 13 year high.
Government's answer is the same as always, "We are failing to perform. Borrow more money and send it to us." Only government rewards failure by handing out more money to entities that fail consistently.
Don't hold your breath waiting to hear that the federal government has put this guy in prison for 10 years.