Coming out of Chicago Ideas Week, getting residents to Tweet how to address illegal guns in Chicago. (Photos used under Creative Commons from Flickr user west.m)

By The Associated Press

CHICAGO - The city of Chicago is asking residents with ideas on how to solve the problem of illegal guns to share them, in 140 characters or less on Twitter.

The initiative grew out of preparations for Chicago Ideas Week, an annual forum for innovators, artists, scientists and others to share ideas and inspire action.

Those who think they know how to cut off the flow of illegal guns into Chicago's streets are being asked to tweet them with #whatifchicago.

The campaign was launched this week. The best submitted ideas will be debated at an Oct. 11 panel discussion during Ideas Week.

The City of Chicago's social media director, Kevin Hauswirth, says the effort is a great example of "the potential power that social media offers city government.''