JOINT STATEMENT OF COOK COUNTY STATE'S ATTORNEY EILEEN O'NEILL BURKE AND CHICAGO POLICE DEPARTMENT SUPERINTENDENT LARRY SNELLING

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

March 26, 2025

CONTACT:
sao.media@cookcountysao.org

JOINT STATEMENT OF COOK COUNTY STATE'S ATTORNEY EILEEN O'NEILL BURKE AND CHICAGO POLICE DEPARTMENT SUPERINTENDENT LARRY SNELLING

We applaud today's Supreme Court ruling upholding restrictions on ghost guns, which have become far more common over the past decade and led to significant loss of life in Chicago. These homemade firearms — which already are illegal in Illinois — can come from anywhere and are nearly impossible to trace, which hinders criminal investigations. For this reason, they are also popular with gangs who share weapons to commit multiple crimes, and with dangerous individuals who are unable to purchase firearms legally. There is more work to be done — including combating the increased prevalence of illegal machinegun conversion devices, or 'switches,' that are continuing to cause so much harm in our communities — but today's ruling reinforces a welcome tool and commonsense approach in the fight against gun crime. Lives will be saved as a result.