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Patch Flash: Cook County Looks at ‘Violence Tax’ on Gun Buyers

Chicagoland news to talk about: Highwood aims to break its own pumpkin carving record.

 

 

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle has floated a new proposal aimed at addressing the overwhelming impact of gun violence on the county's coffers by introducing a new tax on guns and ammunition sold in Chicago and its suburbs. Preckwinkle is looking to implement a so-called "violence tax" as part of her new budget, which is slated to be introduced on Oct. 18.  Preckwinkle has not yet discussed the specific amount of the possible tax. 

An 18-year-old from Montgomery, IL, was arrested for smoking marijuana in front of the Villa Park police chief’s house, located in Naperville. Villa Park Police Chief Robert Pavelchik Jr., said the teen, Maximilian G. Salling, was smoking pot in plain view, right in front of his home, when he came home from work. 

According to a victim’s advocate with the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists, the indictment against Casey was increased after blood work indicated the 20-year-old was under the influence of multiple drugs, not just inhalants   According to police, Casey was huffing the contents of an aerosol can right before she passed out behind the wheel, crossed the centerline and caused a two vehicle crash, April 28, that injured an elderly woman in Palatine. 

The trial for state senator Suzi Schmidt starts today. Schmidt was arrested June 12 for misdemeanor criminal damage and criminal trespass and was served with an Emergency Stalking No Contact Order after a dispute with her neighbor, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office. 

Can Highwood carve more than 30,919 pumpkins this year? Town officials aim to surpass the world record set last year, when Highwood residents bested the previous 30,128 carved-pumpkin record set by Boston in 2006. John Kindseth, an assistant to the city manager, said the city of 5,000 people is aiming to light 32,000 this year. They're hoping to keep at bay Keene, N.H., which first set the record in 1996 and is aiming to unseat Highwood with its own carving carnival.

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Guido McGinty October 10, 2012 at 10:11 pm
All gun regulation is destined for the trash bin in a matter of years. No State goon can keep a lid on this technology.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57499326-76/you-dont-bring-a-3d-printer-to-a-gun-fight-yet/
GuitarMan October 10, 2012 at 10:44 pm
@ Kyuu.
Not a gun owner and agree with Red, and your logic is sort of weak, i.e. someone compelled to kill is stopped by a fee, and you should read the second amendment.
GuitarMan October 10, 2012 at 10:47 pm
@Kyuu.
why should anyone pay in part for the misdeeds of someone who shots another?
McCloud October 10, 2012 at 10:49 pm
The El Rucans would agree with you.
GuitarMan October 10, 2012 at 10:50 pm
I like the comment about gun insurance. Sounds like a business opportunity to me.
Brian October 10, 2012 at 11:10 pm
El Rukns, the gang you mean? Sure. Maybe they will be able to get less guns because the cost is higher in the supply chain. This is not by any means a sole solution but a step along the way to potentially safer streets.
Dan Cox October 10, 2012 at 11:15 pm
The simple truth is that most of the gun's the Police have found are from Indiana! There is no 3 day wait to Purchase a Hand Gun, no FOID Card and they cost less. So is Chicago going to Tax Indiana? Periwinkle is so out of touch, what she should be supporting is Concealed Carry in Illinois. The Children of Illinois could really benefit from The Eddie Eagle Gun Safety Program too. It Teaches Pre-K thru 2nd Grade Kid's to know how to handle a situation where a Child find's a Gun. It is a simple format, they are taught to : STOP, DON'T TOUCH, LEAVE THE AREA, TELL AN ADULT. This Lesson can save live's if taught to our Children. Also Teenagers should be taught the consequences of being in possession of a Gun. A Felony Conviction on their Record, will ruin their life! Why do we refuse to teach our children how to survive in this world? Why do we pretend that Gun's do not exist, even though we know they do? 250 Million are in the USA and they are not going to go away. Educate your Children and DEMAND that your school's teach them too!
CK October 11, 2012 at 12:02 am
Another idiotic idea from democrat spender Periwinckle.Why not tax ski masks so we can reduce bank robberies. Let tax cars with big rhinestone rims extra so it will reduce the number of getaway cars from crine scene. We need a high high tax on knifes to reduce all the stabbimgs in Chicago. Lets tax gang tatoos. Lets tax every word that comes out of the mouths of Chicago politicians but 4X higher in 11th and 39th ward.
CK October 11, 2012 at 12:17 am
Guitarman is correct. Kyuu is typical lib. How can the governmnet TAX an organization that doesnt sell guns????????? And double? Double what? How would a emt clock his work so that it is seperated from his regular salary so it could come from the Kyuukyuu fund? More useless paperwork that solves nil.
McCloud October 11, 2012 at 09:26 am
Sure, once the cost of guns goes up, the El Rucans will need to wait for the coupons in the weekly shopper before they purchase their guns, good thinking.
McCloud October 11, 2012 at 09:28 am
Grady has not yet discussed the specific amount of the possible tax, she'll need to check with tiny dancer.
Dan Cox October 11, 2012 at 10:08 am
I would suggest that you visit Cabellas on a Friday night or Saturday, standing room only around the Gun Counter. Gun's sell faster, the more YOU try to control them. Besides we will just buy in Indiana, Lake County and elsewhere. It is our 2nd Amendment Constitutional Right!
Kelly K October 11, 2012 at 11:22 am
You can put unlimited taxes and restrictions on guns all day long but that won't ever stop the criminals from getting their dirty hands all over them! Why is this such a hard concept for preckwinklr and the city of Chicago and the rest of the sheeple who keep crying for more gun control? Do you really believe that it will make the slightest dent in a gang's ability to obtain illegal guns? If you believe that then I have some magic beans to sell you that will make you rich beyond your wildest dreams!
It's against the law to own a gun in the city of Chicago yet Every Day there are stories about multiple shootings across the city overnight. Yea that law is REALLY helping curb the gun violence in the city!
Brian October 11, 2012 at 11:37 am
Grrr...everyone that doesn't have my opinion is wrong. Just like I feel a lot of the Nugent types have odd ideas on how to stop firearm deaths, I also think that there are a lot of control people who take it too far. The problem is that many people die by guns, legally or illegally acquired. Any work people try and do to stop illegal firearms is immediately undermined by gun lobbies screaming about stealing their guns. Conceal Carry may work to keep you from getting mugged or shot, but it will do nothing to stop inner city gun violence, drive bys, and the occasional kid shooting himself or his friend on accident. There are a lot of people out there who are uneducated about their weapon and there are states that just let them buy and carry without any tests. You have people who leave guns in unlocked cars.
"A guest of residents living in the 900 block of Burridge Ct. reported a Colt 380 semi-automatic gun with a black grip was stolen from the console of an unlocked vehicle during the evening of Oct. 5. The gun is valued at $800 and nothing else was stolen from the vehicle (patch blotter.)" There are ways to help curb some of these problems. All these guns leave the factory legally.....
fred October 11, 2012 at 11:54 am
I used to work with a man that made his own ammunition. Isn't there already two taxes on Gun Purchases for legal owners? 1) Sales Tax when purchased 2) license ?
Hank October 11, 2012 at 01:13 pm
Brian people steal cars to commit crimes they don’t buy them.
If you want to buy guns and ammo with out any id’s just go on the Chicago streets. When I worked downtown (River North area) I was approached to buy live hand grenades for $20.00 each and full auto machine guns. The sellers were young teen age kids. Naturally I declined. Most of this stuff is stolen from military bases or smuggled in from other Countries. It doesn’t come from your local gun shop.
Hank October 11, 2012 at 01:22 pm
Just another thought……
I can’t think of a better way to protect our gun rights. Once guns and ammo are taxed the tax will always go up. When the tax man is wasting away these tax dollars surely they won’t want to loose the revenue by outlawing the source. If they ban the guns then they can’t collect the tax.
RidgewayVol October 11, 2012 at 01:28 pm
There is also already an ammunition and firearms excise tax collected by the federal government on certain imported items, which are mostly utilized by law-abiding sportsmen, and that is in addition to the taxes imposed by the Pittman Robertson Act and state and local taxes. Add in fees for FOID, hunting licenses,etc. I'd say the average firearms owner is paying quite a bit to exercise hir or her second amendment right.
Name one other right guaranteed under the Bill of Rights for which the government requires so much of its citizens. No fee, tax or penalty is required to worship, peacably assemble, to have a trial by your peers, to be afforded counsel, etc.
Brian October 11, 2012 at 02:49 pm
I understand that completely. And although I would like an all out ban or greater restrictions, I am also not living in a fantasy world. I know that won't happen. So you declined when approached. Did you turn them in? Call the police? anything? As a country so many of us turn a blind eye on the street violence and gun crimes. Well, not a total blind eye. We watch it on the news every night and still have some people saying that conceal carry will help prevent this from happening. Gang members don't care if you are armed. They will shoot you if they so desire. One of the main things conceal carry does is ensure that at least one person will get shot when guns are drawn.
Something isn't right when the only concern gun advocates have is that they receive less restrictions to own a deadly weapon. They ignore or write off incidents as minutia. When little jimmy accidentally shoots his sister, when Loughner buys and carries his gun legally to commit a mass killing, when inner city kids get shot up in the cross fire. We are one of the most advanced countries in the world and over half of us think it's ok or a right to make sure procuring a weapon intended to kill is as easy as possible.
steveB October 11, 2012 at 02:51 pm
Tax it!! Typical government response to their own incompetence. Preckwinkle has given up and has no confidence that Chicago Police , County Sherriff or local law enforcement will be able to reduce gun violence. Best solution.. Offset the cost by taxing the responsible gun owners. Yeah that’s going to work.
Vortex October 11, 2012 at 07:00 pm
It's not illegal to own a gun in the city of Chicago. Not since 2010. The Supreme Court struck down the 28-year long ban in the city. There are, of course, a bunch of hoops to jump through, including training, permit, fees, etc. -- including driving to the suburbs for your training, since ranges are banned.
If anyone actually believes that the gang bangers murdering each other bought guns in stores, have FOID cards, pass background checks, or would pay an ammo tax, let me know so I can pass on info about a multi-million fortune you may have inherited overseas. Of course they didn't. They stole the guns. Or bought them from a friend who stole them.
GuitarMan October 11, 2012 at 09:52 pm
@Vortex.
I agree with most of your comment, with one exception. I believe organized gangs get straw buyers to get guns for them. I'm sure there are some stolen guns, but buying a gun is fairly easy in many states, i.e. money talks.
McCloud October 11, 2012 at 10:59 pm
These gun debates are tiring, the problem lies not with the gun, but with the judges. Too many stories of repeat offenders who use guns in their cromes result in just a slap on the wrist. People who live in the neighborhoods know this, and refuse to talk with police, who could blame them. Time for judges who release these monsters are held accountable. Jessie should organize a march on judges, instead of 40 years of gun marches.
RationalTht October 11, 2012 at 11:38 pm
@Kyuu - by your logic, most drive byes involve cars, so Chicago should have a violence tax on vehicles. Also, most bank robbers wear masks or pantyhose over their heads, so we should have a bank robbery tax on masks and pantyhose to cover that too...did you go to CPS?
RationalTht October 11, 2012 at 11:39 pm
Ah, but that does not follow the logic - most of the cars involved in accidents are probably not the +$45,000 (by sheer numbers, more cars are in the lower brackets), therefore it should be higher on lower cost vehicles if you wanted to be fair...
RationalTht October 11, 2012 at 11:42 pm
Well, Chicago did not have legal gun owners (unless you were politically connected) until recently, but they were sure tops in gun crime. SOMEHOW the criminals did not obey the gun laws - can you believe it? (note, that was sarcasm for the humor impaired).
Dan Cox October 12, 2012 at 12:17 am
You have a very good point and the proof is in the latest Murder of the 14 year old Boy that was Killed by a Gang Banger that had been Arrested for possession of a Loaded Handgun, while not old enough to possess a Foid Card or Buy a Hand Gun or be in possession of Ammunition or to carry a Gun in a Car or Concealed on the Street. In other words, if he had been locked up for the half dozen AUUW/UUw Laws, HE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MURDER THE BOY! Enforce the Law's you have now, do not create more that you do not enforce.
Dan Cox October 12, 2012 at 12:19 am
So can I Tax your Right's? It is a slippery slope you wish to tread!
Sergey Kemskiy October 12, 2012 at 10:25 am
I must confess that your writing on taxation is impressive. Issues regarding taxation and IRS are crucial for every business, that is why it is important to have a contact of a good tax lawyer. That is why I am trying to create the directory of the best US tax attorneys with detailed description of their legal practice. For example, look a category related to Illinois http://attorney-online.info/dir/tax/illinois/909 You must be a good tax attorney. If you are, you should submit your contacts to the attorney directory.
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Note Article
Just a short thought to get the word out quickly about anything in your neighborhood.
Share something with your neighbors. Write a new post... What's up? Make an announcement, speak your mind, or sell something
Lake Zurich Area Farmers Market June 19, 2013 at 01:50 pm
Jim, we're sorry if you had trouble getting to the Paulus lot. Additional parking was availableRead More across the street in the former Kmart lot. We've been working with the police to make sure people know where they can park if the Pualus lot is full, and we're getting some signs to direct people to the alternate parking. Please come back and give us a try!
Jane Reents & NSQG 2013 Raffle Quilt.
Tea drinker June 4, 2013 at 06:56 am
Any pictures available? I'd love to see the quilts.
Jayne Borgelt June 12, 2013 at 09:01 am
You are referring to her Paducah quilts? I will ask Jane. Thank you for your interest!
Jayne Borgelt June 14, 2013 at 06:17 am
Jane Reent's Paducah entry quilts may been seen at:Read More http://lakezurich.patch.com/groups/announcements/p/an--wauconda-quilter-takes-on-the-paducah-quilt-show-65f7cdf95b
Cats&Hogs June 4, 2013 at 05:45 pm
Wow, this story really shows how selfish some people are now. The person who complained to theRead More police better hope he/she never needs any help or compassion from anyone or any organization. They don't deserve it. You were trying to have a great event and some hater couldn't put earplugs in their ears for one night of their life if they didn't like the noise. So sad. Way to go for your efforts though! Bob