Chicago is suing an Indiana-based gun shop, alleging it sold hundreds of weapons that ended up in the possession of convicted felons and gang members within the city.
The lawsuit, filed in Cook County Chancery Court, seeks a court order requiring Westforth Sports Inc. in Gary, Indiana, located 10 miles from the Chicago border, to stop practices that contribute to gun trafficking, in addition to unspecified damages. The suit alleges the family-owned store repeatedly broke federal gun laws by allowing straw purchases, or buys made on behalf of another individual, to occur regularly.
“The time for us to stop to ask them to do better and make sure they’re not selling to straw purchases, do what they’re required to do as a federally licensed gun dealer, is over. We’ve tried that. It hasn’t worked. So now we’re in litigation with them,” said Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Monday, according to the Chicago Tribune.
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From 2013 to 2016, Westforth Sports was the third-largest supplier of guns used in crimes in Chicago, according to data collected in the 2017 Gun Trace Report by the city’s police department.
The city accused the firearms supplier of ignoring signs of straw buying, including customers making multiple purchases of the same model of gun over a short time period or buying a bundle of guns at once, as well as paying only in cash.
The suit also alleges the store’s longtime owner, Earl Westforth, ignored warnings from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives about suspicious purchases at his store.
On Monday, Westforth said he wasn’t aware of the lawsuit but asserted, “We follow the law to the ‘T’ and go above and beyond.”
“We transfer guns to Illinois, yes, but all the background checks and paperwork is done in Illinois and out of our hands,” the owner told the online newspaper, Block Club Chicago.
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The lawsuit alleges that, since 2014, more than 40 federal criminal prosecutions for illegal gun purchases involving Westforth Sports were brought forth in the Northern District of Indiana.
Westforth Sports sells outdoor sporting, firearms, and fishing supplies, as well as personal defense and tactical weapons. According to its website, the independent outlet has been operating for more than 50 years.
