The article only says the handgun was loaded, not the rifle. As to the placement, the room is mostly window. There's not a lot of other places to keep it...
I also wondered how an untouched firearm sitting in an empty room is being “used”, much less in an “aggravated” manner. I guess this is under the “they also serve who stand and wait” clause...
The situation does beg some questions:
1) Why oh why would anyone go to Chicago?
2) Why would someone who visited Chicago anyway, leave a loaded rifle in a hotel room, in clear view, by a window? 3) Why did the hotel staff report this to police instead of stealing and selling the firearms, as would be normal. It’s not as if the owner was likely to run to the CPD crying “gee, someone just stole my loaded, scoped .308 rifle right out from under the window in my high rise hotel room.”
Speculative Diagnosis: government operation or guns of irresponsible government agent. Maybe the guest belongs to one of Pelosi’s new Capitol Police cells. Where is Lt. Boyd these days?
“1) Why oh why would anyone go to Chicago?”
You got that right!
The article only says the handgun was loaded, not the rifle. As to the placement, the room is mostly window. There's not a lot of other places to keep it...