Gun Owner Identification?
Posted: Fri Dec 15, 2006 8:27 am
Thank goodness that I don't live in the communist state of Illinois. This is really pathetic.
Johnson faces more gun charges
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) - Chicago Bears' defensive tackle Terry "Tank" Johnson was charged Thursday with six counts of possession of a firearm without a gun owner identification card after police said they found six guns at his Gurnee home.
The misdemeanor charge carries a potential penalty of up to a year in jail, said Jeff Pavletic, first assistant state's attorney in Lake County.
Johnson turned himself in to Gurnee police, posted bond and was released Thursday evening, Police Chief Robert Jones told a news conference.
Johnson already has a separate conviction on a gun charge.
In November 2005, he was sentenced to 18 months probation and 40 hours community service after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge stemming from an arrest in which a nightclub valet reported seeing Johnson with a handgun in his sport utility vehicle.
Johnson also was arrested last February after a confrontation outside a Chicago nightclub, but the charges were dropped after the police officer he allegedly scuffled with decided not to continue the prosecution.
Gurnee police executed a warrant and searched Johnson's home earlier Thursday, Bears coach Lovie Smith said. Johnson, the Bears' starting nose guard, didn't practice Thursday and was driven away from Halas Hall by a Bears security official.
Smith said Johnson's status for Sunday's game against Tampa Bay was up in the air and noted that any discipline against Johnson, if applicable, would come from the NFL under the personal conduct policy.
Unless specifically exempted by statute, all Illinois residents who buy or possess firearms are required by law to have a valid Firearm Owner's Identification card. They are issued by the Illinois State Police.
"It definitely is a concern because Tank has had to deal with some things like this in the past. Yes, it definitely is a concern," Smith said, adding that it was also a distraction for the playoff-bound team.
Losing Johnson would be a major blow to the Bears, who've already clinched a playoff berth by winning the NFC North. Chicago is also without Pro Bowl defensive tackle Tommie Harris, who underwent surgery Tuesday for a torn hamstring.
Johnson was a second-round draft pick of the Bears out of Washington in 2004
Johnson faces more gun charges
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) - Chicago Bears' defensive tackle Terry "Tank" Johnson was charged Thursday with six counts of possession of a firearm without a gun owner identification card after police said they found six guns at his Gurnee home.
The misdemeanor charge carries a potential penalty of up to a year in jail, said Jeff Pavletic, first assistant state's attorney in Lake County.
Johnson turned himself in to Gurnee police, posted bond and was released Thursday evening, Police Chief Robert Jones told a news conference.
Johnson already has a separate conviction on a gun charge.
In November 2005, he was sentenced to 18 months probation and 40 hours community service after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge stemming from an arrest in which a nightclub valet reported seeing Johnson with a handgun in his sport utility vehicle.
Johnson also was arrested last February after a confrontation outside a Chicago nightclub, but the charges were dropped after the police officer he allegedly scuffled with decided not to continue the prosecution.
Gurnee police executed a warrant and searched Johnson's home earlier Thursday, Bears coach Lovie Smith said. Johnson, the Bears' starting nose guard, didn't practice Thursday and was driven away from Halas Hall by a Bears security official.
Smith said Johnson's status for Sunday's game against Tampa Bay was up in the air and noted that any discipline against Johnson, if applicable, would come from the NFL under the personal conduct policy.
Unless specifically exempted by statute, all Illinois residents who buy or possess firearms are required by law to have a valid Firearm Owner's Identification card. They are issued by the Illinois State Police.
"It definitely is a concern because Tank has had to deal with some things like this in the past. Yes, it definitely is a concern," Smith said, adding that it was also a distraction for the playoff-bound team.
Losing Johnson would be a major blow to the Bears, who've already clinched a playoff berth by winning the NFC North. Chicago is also without Pro Bowl defensive tackle Tommie Harris, who underwent surgery Tuesday for a torn hamstring.
Johnson was a second-round draft pick of the Bears out of Washington in 2004
