In recent high-profile mass shootings in Buffalo, NY, Uvalde, TX, and Highland Park, IL, the shooter was able to bypass red flag laws and other restrictions on purchasing weapons that should have ostensibly prevented the shootings. Since these shooters were able to legally purchase the guns, lawmakers are scratching their heads as to what can be legally done next. Most of the reform-minded approaches include closing loopholes in existing laws, or allowing law enforcement to move more quickly on actionable...

The Cook County Sheriff’s department recently announced that they have confiscated over 80 guns while searching the homes of suspects who were on electronic monitoring. Electronic monitoring is generally used for individuals who are awaiting trial. Each of these individuals is required to sign a contract stipulating that they do not have any guns or drugs in their residence. Because the individuals are technically in custody, their homes can be searched as part of compliance checks without warning or recourse...

There are a handful of holidays that police target for DUI arrests. Can you guess what they are? One is obviously July 4th. The others are New Year's Eve, St. Patrick’s Day, and Cinco de Mayo. All three are associated with day drinking, celebrations, and a headache in the morning. They are also associated with an uptick in DUI charges in and around Chicago. The Fourth of July remains one of the deadliest days of the year for American drivers....

If you guessed that women file for divorce more often than men, then you are correct. Women file the majority of divorces here in the United States. Women initiate a staggering 70% of divorces. That number skyrockets to 90% when they are college-educated. In the UK, the figure is still high—but not as high: 62%. In the United States as in the UK, no-fault divorces are legal. One of the main connecting factors that predicts this trend is women’s liberation...

The divorce rate in India is quite low compared to the United States. That’s largely because it’s much more difficult to pursue a divorce in India. Couples are required to live separately for one year before they can finalize their divorce. One Indian man and his wife have agreed to separate after the wife cooked noodles every day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The wife apparently lacked the ability to cook anything other than noodles. The husband, instead of learning...

A Chicago man has been sentenced to four years in federal prison for attempting to receive a parcel containing a vacuum-sealed substance. The substance turned out to be fentanyl, the highly-potent opioid drug at the heart of the opioid crisis -- a drug being vigorously prosecuted by Federal and State prosecutors. The defendant, who was originally from Chicago, received the package in Wisconsin where a joint task force took control of the parcel before it was delivered, analyzed the contents,...

The rules regarding automatic weapons are not simple, but most of these types of weapons are illegal to own and to use in Illinois. Even the mechanism that allows for automatic loading of the bullets is illegal. Exceptions are made for any gun that was manufactured before 1986 when the rules were drafted. These older guns have been grandfathered in, and you can own or sell them in some states, but not without a special permit, and not in Illinois...

A Chicago-area man was recently charged with possession of 900g of cocaine, nearly a kilo. The suspect has been charged with possessing a controlled substance, which is a Class-2 felony and possession with intent to deliver, a Class-X felony. A Class-X felony is the most serious felony you can be charged with short of first-degree murder. Mandatory minimum sentences depend on the weight of the drugs involved in the crime, but they run from six to 30 years behind bars....

A Chicago mother is facing child endangerment charges after her child brought a gun to school in his backpack and the gun accidentally went off, according to police. The bullet went into the floor and grazed another student, causing an injury. The injured child was brought to the hospital and is believed to be in good condition. The child’s mother has since been charged with three counts of child endangerment, all misdemeanors. An attorney for the mother told the court...

The notion of “father’s rights attorneys” is more of just a marketing term than a specialized practice of law. But that begs a second question: What do folks who market themselves as “father’s rights attorneys” actually do? For decades, the courts were biased toward mothers when determining custody disputes. This left some fathers paying child support but only able to see their children once every other weekend. The mother did not have to make any special allegations against the father...

Three Chicago men are being charged with forging autographs on sports memorabilia, art, and other collector’s items for the purposes of marking up the costs significantly. The items were then sold to auction houses, art galleries, and individuals. All three of the men have been indicted on federal fraud charges. According to the indictment, the men applied false autographs to non-original paintings. The men would then enlist the aid of straw buyers to provide “false provenance” or an individual history...

A Chicago-area driver is facing charges of DUI causing death and reckless homicide after a terrible crash that decapitated the victim. Prosecutors say that the driver’s BAC was more than twice the legal limit at the time of the crash. According to investigators, the woman was coming off an exit at 79 mph when she lost control of the vehicle and slammed into a median. Her vehicle flipped sideways and went airborne sheering the top off of the victim’s car....

An Illinois man will serve 68 months in prison and three years of supervised release for his role in stealing from his employer. According to federal authorities, the man stole CPAP machines from his employer and sold them to third parties. An internal audit caught unexplained and excessive shipping costs from a single outlet in Illinois. The defendant had fabricated a business identity to communicate with customers and pay himself using an alias. The fraud allegedly netted the defendant over...

All couples know that financial pressures are the leading cause of relationship tension. For decades, sociologists have been discussing economic insecurity in terms of divorce. Couples who are struggling to purchase homes or situate themselves tend to forestall marriage and having children until they are settled down. Now, you have pressures with the housing market, rising costs of living, and the increased cost of gasoline all placing economic pressures on American families. Nonetheless, the same folks who occupy think tanks...

The role of father’s post-divorce remains a contentious issue. In years past, mothers were often favored in custody hearings. Today, that is still the case when the child is very young. Very young children are often presumed to need their mothers more than their fathers. But this ends up creating a situation where the courts are unwilling to move children out of one residence and into another because it is presumed that continuity is in the best interests of the...