Gary gun shop, targeted in 2021 lawsuit, to close after more than six decades

Westforth Sports, a gun shop in Gary that’s drawn repeated scrutiny from federal law enforcement, announced this week that it will soon close its doors for good after more than six decades in business.

The decision comes two months after a Cook County judge sided with Westforth and dismissed a lawsuit brought by the city of Chicago against the shop in 2021. That lawsuit, which attorneys for the city are now trying to revive, accused Westforth of repeatedly violating 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.

The city’s lawsuit against Westforth was dismissed in late May after the shop’s attorney, Timothy Rudd, successfully argued that the city lacked standing to bring the lawsuit in the first place since Westforth is an Indiana company doing business with Indiana residents.

In a statement issued Friday morning, Rudd said the city’s lawsuit “was not a factor in Mr. (Earl) Westforth’s decision” to retire.

“Mr. Westforth is retiring on his own timetable and on his own terms, just as it should be,” Rudd said in the statement. “As for the City’s efforts or intent to try and resurrect its claims in Cook County, Illinois or anywhere else, Westforth Sports will continue to defend any claims by the City of Chicago just as it has to date.”

Westforth announced its closure in a Facebook post earlier this week, thanking customers for its 66 years in business and offering discounts on certain guns.

Regardless of why the shop is closing, attorneys representing the city cheered the decision.

“For years, Westforth was the number one supplier of out-of-state crime guns recovered by Chicago police, fueling our city’s gun violence crisis,” Mary Richardson-Lowry, the city’s corporation counsel, said in a statement Friday. “Their closing represents a significant victory for gun safety in our City.”

A 2017 report issued by the Chicago Police Department stated that Westforth Sports was the third-largest supplier of guns used in crimes in the city. The department said that, between 2013 and 2016, 2.3% of all crime guns recovered in Chicago originated at Westforth.