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United States Initiatives
Project Safe Neighborhoods
First introduced in 2001 by President George W. Bush and Attorney
General John Ashcroft, Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the
Administration's gun crime reduction strategy, specifically designed to
address violent crime and, just as the name implies, make Americans feel safe in their
neighborhoods.
This initiative calls for each United States Attorney to form a "task force" of regional law enforcement leaders to identify the specific violent crime problem in their jurisdiction, design a data-driven strategic plan that incorporates the assets of all the partners, provide training to enhance specific skills, reach out to the community and include them in the plan, and be accountable for the success or failure of the plan in terms of outcome - the reduction of violent crime.
The initiative envisions that the Federal and state partners will work together to see that cases are brought in the most appropriate forum - state or federal - to ensure that gun crime is addressed in the most appropriate manner and is met with swift prosecutions and maximum sentences. Therefore, the PSN initiative provides each U.S. Attorney's Office with the flexibility to determine the most effective tools to combat gun violence in its jurisdiction, which may include the increased use of drug trafficking statutes and other federal laws, along with federal firearms statutes.
Stronger Penalties for Firearms Trafficking
In April 2006, the United States Sentencing Commission passed amendments to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, effective in November, 2006, substantially enhancing the penalties for defendants who engage in the trafficking of firearms. These enhancements, supported by the U.S. Department of Justice, provide an additional tool for U.S. prosecutors in the fight against firearms trafficking.
Operation Stonegarden
Operation Stonegarden is a cooperative effort to secure the borders of the United States, which is currently pending implementation. The goal of Operation Stonegarden is to incorporate the efforts of state, local, and tribal law enforcement entities to enhance border security and prevent the entry of terrorists and terrorist weapons of mass effect, while at the same time reducing the ability of human trafficking and narcotics organizations to operate along the borders of the United States.
