CHICAGO -- A Cook County judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by the city against a Northwest Indiana gun shop in a brief hearing Thursday.
The city filed the lawsuit against Westforth Sports, located in Gary, Ind., in April 2021, alleging the shop repeatedly violated federal gun laws, often resulting in criminal charges against straw purchasers. The city further alleged that the shop’s owner, Earl Westforth, ignored warnings from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives about suspicious purchases at the store.
Attorneys for Westforth Sports filed a motion to dismiss last year. They argued that the lawsuit should be dismissed because the city’s allegations concerned transactions between Westforth and residents of Indiana.