- Convicted felons found illegally carrying guns will now face automatic jail time under a measure Gov. Pat Quinn signed into law today.
The new law removes the option of probation for felons who are convicted of unlawful use or possession of a weapon, which will now result in two to 10 years behind bars. Jail time increases to three to 14 years for each additional violation or for felons who are caught with guns while on parole or supervised release.
The measure comes after the shooting death of Chicago Police Officer Thomas Wortham, who was killed outside his home during an attempted robbery last year. Some of suspects in his death had previously been convicted on gun charges.
This appears to be loosely based on Virginia's "Project Exile" where gun convictions led to lengthy sentences. Two years is better than probation, but now we wonder if the "shorties" are going to be packing the guns now, leading to more 13-year-old future brain surgeons getting shot.