Updated 12/26/13 – 2:04 p.m.
(CBS) – It is not unusual for a sheriff to be carrying a gun. In fact, it would be expected in some places.
But when Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart recently started carrying one on his belt, it was a bit unusual. So WBBM’s Mike Krauser asked him about it.
Dart — a former state lawmaker known for policy as much as anything else — said he’s been getting some unwanted attention, unfortunately. The sheriff has had his life threatened.
“It’s been impressed upon me that I have five little kids, and I need to be around a bit,” Dart says. “So, I can’t just cavalierly just blow everything off.”
“It’s a little bit of a wake-up call, unfortunately,” he added. “I have no delusions of my abilities.”
The gun goes with the job, he says.
A spokesperson for Dart later said the sheriff has carried a firearm for seven years, but Dart himself did not say that when told it was the first time he’d been seen with a gun.
