The U. S. Justice Department
released the below information:
Today, the U.S. Department of
Justice announced that, following the memorandum from Attorney General Sessions
to prioritize firearm prosecutions, the number of defendants charged with
unlawful possession of a firearm increased nearly 23 percent in the second
quarter of 2017 (2,637) from the same time period in 2016 (2,149).
“Violent crime is on the rise
in many parts of this country, with 27 of our biggest 35 cities in the country
coping with rising homicide rates,” said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “Law
abiding people in some of these communities are living in fear, as they see
families torn apart and young lives cut short by gangs and drug traffickers.
Following President Trump’s Executive Order to focus on reducing crime, I
directed federal prosecutors to prioritize taking illegal guns off of our
streets, and as a result, we are now prosecuting hundreds more firearms
defendants. In the first three months since the memo went into effect, charges
of unlawful possession of a gun – mostly by previously convicted felons – are
up by 23 percent. That sends a clear message to criminals all over this country
that if you carry a gun illegally, you will be held accountable. I am grateful
to the many federal prosecutors and agents who are working hard every day to
make America safe again.”
In February, immediately
after the swearing-in of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, President Trump signed
an Executive Order that directs the Attorney General to seek to reduce crime
and to set up the Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety. The Task
Force has provided Sessions with recommendations on a rolling basis. In March,
based on these recommendations, Attorney General Sessions sent a memorandum to
Department of Justice prosecutors, ordering them to prioritize firearms
offenses.
In the three months
immediately following the Attorney General’s memo – April, May and June – the
number of defendants charged with unlawful possession of a firearm (18 U.S.C.
922) increased by nearly 23 percent compared to those charged over the same
time period in 2016. The number of defendants charged with the crime of using a
firearm in a crime of violence or drug trafficking (18 U.S.C. 924), increased
by 10 percent.
Based on data from the
Executive Office for United States Attorneys (EOUSA), in Fiscal Year 2016
(starting October 1), 11,656 defendants were charged with firearms offenses
under 18 U.S.C. 922 or 924. EOUSA projects that in Fiscal Year 2017, the
Department is on pace to charge 12,626 defendants with these firearms crimes.
That would be the most federal firearms cases since 2005. It would also be an increase of eight percent
from Fiscal Year 2016, 20 percent from 2015, and an increase of 23 percent from
2014.
Note: In my view, this is true gun control.
Target illegal guns used by criminals, and not legal gun owners.
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