The Chicagoist will be launching later but in the meantime please enjoy our archives.

Chicago Police Recover Old-Timey Gun; Hilarious Pillorying Ensues

By Stephen Gossett in News on Apr 20, 2017 7:15PM

cpdgun.jpg
Twitter / Chicago Police Department

It scans like a three-week-post-dated April Fool's joke, but apparently it's legit. The Chicago Police Department's Twitter feed was a deeply uncharacteristic barrel of laughs on Thursday morning when the account posted the above photo, proclaiming that "great intel" prompted the recovery of (perhaps, down the line, legal?) bag of weed and an antique gun that looks like it's seen more time in the Smithsonian than on a street corner. From the internet that brought you #OtherRahmRequirements and #BetterSoxStadiumNames, a quick and steady outpouring of gleeful mockery did flow.

It looks like the photo was was actually first sent out by the 10th District of the Chicago Police Department's account yesterday, but it landed on our radar when Waldo Jaquith‏ took a shot on Thursday morning, as it were, when the official CPD feed threw it out there. You can check out his and other select digs below, and laugh along at DNAinfo too, which also noticed the viral WTF-ery.