Sun-Times columnist denied gun sale due to alcohol abuse, domestic violence charges

Chicago Sun-Times reporter, columnist, and editorial board member, Neil Steinberg is anti-gun having written in the past,"...Guns are a kind of mastubatory aid of millions of Americans who imagine themselves supermen."

Steinberg says he wanted to show how easy it was to buy the same type of gun used in the Orlando terrorist attack, so he went to Maxons Shooters in Des Plaines, Illinois.

Long story short, after choosing a Smith & Wesson Model M&P15 Sport, a beginner level AR-15 semi-automatic weapon with a 30 round detachable magazine,
the gun store ran a background check on him, and refused the sale.

According to the clerk, Steinberg copped an attitude saying, "...you sell to terrorists, you sell to insane people, but you won't sell to a reporter?" After pressing them as to the reason, he was told it was because of his background check revealed  a history of alcohol abuse and domestic violence.

You see, Mr. Steinberg has somewhat of a colorful past.

Sun-Times columnist and editorial board member Neil Steinberg could face jail time if he is convicted of domestic battery charges related to an incident involving his wife.

Steinberg, 45, of Northbrook, Illinois was arrested  in his home after his wife, Edie, called 911 and reported abuse, said Sgt. Michael Keady of the Northbrook Police Department. Steinberg spent the night in jail and posted bail.

Edie Steinberg had first tried to call emergency services on another telephone, but Neil Steinberg hit that phone out of her hand, causing minor injuries, Keady said.

She was able to call 911 on another phone, he said.

Steinberg was charged with one count of domestic battery and one count of interfering with the reporting of domestic battery. Both are misdemeanors and carry sentences of up to a year in jail, Keady said.

After completing alcohol treatment, the charges were dismissed. Which is the reason he was able to get a FOID (Firearms)card in Illinois. While Steinberg filed to have the arrest expunged, it’s unclear if that has taken place as it’s still within the Cook County system and can be looked up.

In 2008 he published  Drunkard: A Hard Drinking Life ,  his story of being an old time hard drinking reporter and his decent alcoholism.

Confessed drunkard and alleged domestic abuser , Steinberg blames the gunstore