The Department of Justice on Tuesday announced it will use “strike forces” to go after illegal firearms trafficking in major U.S. cities.
The strike forces will be launched within 30 days in Democrat-run New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C., San Francisco, and their respective metropolitan areas. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) will coordinate with designated U.S. attorneys to target “firearms trafficking corridors,” according to a news release from the Justice Department.
Those strike force groups won’t necessarily be limited to operating within those metropolitan areas, noted the Justice Department, and they will “share information and otherwise collaborate across districts where firearms trafficking schemes cross state or jurisdictional boundaries to focus enforcement against entire trafficking networks, from the places where guns are unlawfully obtained to the areas where they are used to commit violent crimes.”
Attorney General Merrick Garland said the measure is designed to bolster cooperation between the federal government and “local partners,” while adding that the announcement Tuesday is “another concrete step to address violent crime and illegal firearms trafficking.”
“Our firearms trafficking strike forces will investigate and disrupt the networks that channel crime guns into our communities with tragic consequences,” he added.
“This effort reflects our shared commitment to keep communities safe.”
Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said during a virtual forum on Tuesday that the focus is to support “local communities to prevent, investigate, and prosecute violent crime.” – READ MORE
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