New York’s gun-control laws have failed to curb the increase in homicide rates and gun violence plaguing the city this year.
CBS New York reported on Monday that, in an unprecedented move, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) will be joining forces with the NYPD to curb gun violence. The decision to conduct the first-ever anti-gun initiative in high-crime areas was made by these two agencies as well the federal government and the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
“There’s going to be an increase in federal arrests — no doubt. … Of course, when the ATF gets involved with our resources and our tracing expertise, we’ll be able to figure out if weapon is part of an interstate trafficking operation,” said AFT agent Charles Mulham in an interview with CBS New York.
With the ATF’s involvement, gun cases will be reviewed as federal charges, which could bring on much more severe punishments.
“Now the government will also scrutinize the one-time felons, and they don’t necessarily have to have violent backgrounds,” Mulham continued. “They can be people with non-violent backgrounds, but have a felony nonetheless, and now arrested with a weapon.”
The new approach will free up resources for local prosecutors and target repeat offenders and ex-convicts. The anti-gun program will allow agents to go after people with as little as one prior felony arrest and charge them with up to 10 years in jail.
A longer record could land someone 15 years in a federal prison.
