When the Chicago Police Department (CPD) reported back in September that 22-year-old Simone Mousheh had been arrested and charged with four felonies for violating gun laws, it noted that Simone is not alone in her crimes: “The Firearms Investigations Team say she is not an uncommon example of a female with a valid FOID [Firearm Owners Identification] who sells guns for profit.”
But, said the announcement, although she faces four felonies, she “will be eligible for a low bond based on her background. History has shown that these cases usually result in a plea of guilty in exchange for felony probation.”
That’s exactly what happened. On April 17 Mousheh, after plea bargaining, was sentenced to 15 days of community service in the Cook County SWAP (Sheriff’s Work Alternative Program), 12 months of probation, and a $679 fine.
The next day, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (shown) spoke with some black youths of UCAN — a self-help group focused on, among other things, “raising awareness about gun violence and how it affects our youth” — telling them 1) that there is a need for “strong and sensible” additional laws for licensing gun dealers in Chicago and 2) Chicago can’t just rely on federal gun laws to keep Chicago’s streets safe.
The National Rifle Association (NRA) examined the laws that Mousheh broke and added up the years she could have, and perhaps should have, spent in jail. She is guilty of Class 1, Class 2, and Class 4 felonies for acting as a straw buyer of guns to be sold to someone else without a valid FOID. Altogether, her maximum sentence under the law could total 25 years. She got 15 days and a small fine. The NRA noted the hypocrisy: “The punishment handed down in this case should lead many to question just how serious Chicago officials are about stemming violence in their city. Chicago officials like to talk tough to their constituents about the need to further restrict the rights of law-abiding gun owners [or dealers], but frequently fail to vigorously pursue actual criminal offenders.”
It should be remembered that Mayor Emanuel is part of the war against the Second Amendment. In January 2013, he wrote to the CEOs of Allianz, BlackRock, Dimensional Fund Advisors, Vanguard, James Investment Research, and Capital World Investments urging them strongly to divest themselves of any and all shares of stock they might own in any gun manufacturers. This followed a letter he sent the week before to the CEOs of major banking institutions demanding that they restrict or eliminate credit lines they might be extending to those same gunmakers.
This isn’t a war against crime in Chicago. It’s a war against the Second Amendment. And the slap on the wrist of Simone Mousheh was more evidence, if more is needed, where the real war is taking place and who the real target is.
Photo: AP Images
An Ivy League graduate and former investment advisor, Bob is a regular contributor to The New American magazine and blogs frequently at LightFromTheRight.com, primarily on economics and politics. He can be reached at [email protected].
