Attorney General William P. Barr Announces Launch of Project Guardian – A Nationwide Strategic Plan

[Elderberry]

U.S. Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs 11/13/2019

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-william-p-barr-announces-launch-project-guardian-nationwide-strategic-plan

Initiative emphasizes enforcing gun prohibitions based on domestic violence convictions and mental health denials

Today, Attorney General William P. Barr announced the launch of Project Guardian, a new initiative designed to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws across the country. Specifically, Project Guardian focuses on investigating, prosecuting, and preventing gun crimes.

Reducing gun violence and enforcing federal firearms laws have always been among the Department’s highest priorities. In order to develop a new and robust effort to promote and ensure public safety, the Department reviewed and adapted some of the successes of past strategies to curb gun violence. Project Guardian draws on the Department’s earlier achievements, such as the “Triggerlock” program, and it serves as a complementary effort to the success of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). In addition, the initiative emphasizes the importance of using all modern technologies available to law enforcement to promote gun crime intelligence.

“Gun crime remains a pervasive problem in too many communities across America. Today, the Department of Justice is redoubling its commitment to tackling this issue through the launch of Project Guardian,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “Building on the success of past programs like Triggerlock, Project Guardian will strengthen our efforts to reduce gun violence by allowing the federal government and our state and local partners to better target offenders who use guns in crimes and those who try to buy guns illegally.”

“ATF has a long history of strong partnerships in the law enforcement community,” said Acting Director Regina Lombardo. “Make no mistake, the women and men of ATF remain steadfast to our core mission of getting crime guns off of our streets. ATF and U.S. Attorneys nationwide will leverage these partnerships even further through enhanced community outreach initiatives and coordination with local, state, and tribal law enforcement and prosecutors to cut the pipeline of crime guns from those violent individuals who seek to terrorize our communities. Project Guardian will enhance ATF’s Crime Gun Intelligence, to include identifying, investigating and prosecuting those involved in the straw purchases of firearms, lying on federal firearms transaction forms, and those subject to the mental health prohibition of possessing firearms.”

Project Guardian’s implementation is based on five principles:

•   Coordinated Prosecution. Federal prosecutors and law enforcement will coordinate with state, local, and tribal law enforcement and prosecutors to consider potential federal prosecution for new cases involving a defendant who: a) was arrested in possession of a firearm; b) is believed to have used a firearm in committing a crime of violence or drug trafficking crime prosecutable in federal court; or c) is suspected of actively committing violent crime(s) in the community on behalf of a criminal organization.

•   Enforcing the Background Check System. United States Attorneys, in consultation with the Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in their district, will create new, or review existing, guidelines for intake and prosecution of federal cases involving false statements (including lie-and-try, lie-and-buy, and straw purchasers) made during the acquisition or attempted acquisition of firearms from Federal Firearms Licensees. Particular emphasis is placed on individuals convicted of violent felonies or misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence, individuals subject to protective orders, and individuals who are fugitives where the underlying offense is a felony or misdemeanor crime of domestic violence; individuals suspected of involvement in criminal organizations or of providing firearms to criminal organizations; and individuals involved in repeat denials.

•   Improved Information Sharing. On a regular basis, and as often as practicable given current technical limitations, ATF will provide to state law enforcement fusion centers a report listing individuals for whom the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) has issued denials, including the basis for the denial, so that state and local law enforcement can take appropriate steps under their laws.

•   Coordinated Response to Mental Health Denials. Each United States Attorney will ensure that whenever there is federal case information regarding individuals who are prohibited from possessing a firearm under the mental health prohibition, such information continues to be entered timely and accurately into the United States Attorneys’ Offices’ case-management system for prompt submission to NICS. ATF should engage in additional outreach to state and local law enforcement on how to use this denial information to better assure public safety. Additionally, United States Attorneys will consult with relevant district stakeholders to assess feasibility of adopting disruption of early engagement programs to address mental-health-prohibited individuals who attempt to acquire a firearm. United States Attorneys should consider, when appropriate, recommending court-ordered mental health treatment for any sentences issued to individuals prohibited based on mental health.

•   Crime Gun Intelligence Coordination. Federal, state, local, and tribal prosecutors and law enforcement will work together to ensure effective use of the ATF’s Crime Gun Intelligence Centers (CGICs), and all related resources, to maximize the use of modern intelligence tools and technology. These tools can greatly enhance the speed and effectiveness in identifying trigger-pullers and finding their guns, but the success depends in large part on state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners sharing ballistic evidence and firearm recovery data with the ATF. Federal law enforcement represents only about 15 percent of all law enforcement resources nationwide. Therefore, partnerships with state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the communities they serve are critical to addressing gun crime. The Department recognizes that sharing information with our state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners at every level will enhance public safety, and provide a greater depth of resources available to address gun crime on a national level.   

For more information on Project Guardian, see the Attorney General’s memorandum at: https://www.justice.gov/ag/project-guardian-memo-2019/download.

[Elderberry]

The Hill 11/13/2019  https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/470276-doj-unveils-program-aimed-at-reducing-gun-violence

"Project Guardian will strengthen our efforts to reduce gun violence by allowing the federal government and our state and local partners to better target offenders who use guns in crimes and those who try to buy guns illegally,” he said.

He also said during a press conference in Memphis, Tenn., that the program would be applied with exceptional "vigor" in areas with high levels of gun violence.

"We're going to apply it with special vigor where gun violence is the highest, in places like Memphis," he said.

[Slide Rule]

I thought this was the much anticipated operation Lock Em Up.

Disappointment.

:(

[Elderberry]

U.S. Attorney: Kansas Joins Project Guardian – A Nationwide Strategic Plan to Reduce Gun Violence

Initiative Emphasizes Enforcing Gun Prohibitions Based on Domestic Violence Convictions and Mental Health Denials

https://www.atf.gov/news/pr/us-attorney-kansas-joins-project-guardian-%E2%80%93-nationwide-strategic-plan-reduce-gun-violence

Kansas will join a nationwide drive to keep guns out of the hands of domestic violence offenders, convicted felons and people with serious mental problems, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said today.

The plan, called Project Guardian, puts new emphasis on using the federal background check system for gun purchases to identify straw purchasers, individuals convicted of felonies or misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence and individuals who are subject to protective orders. The U.S. Attorney’s office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will work together on the project.

“Gun crime has been a particular focus in the District of Kansas,” McAllister said. “We have emphasized gun investigations and prosecutions as part of our Project Safe Neighborhoods efforts in Wichita, and the Department of Justice has strongly supported the development of the new Gun Crime Intelligence Center in Wichita to further enhance and support such efforts. The priorities of Project Guardian will complement and strengthen our ongoing efforts.”

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

In time you will come to regard me not only with respect and awe, but with love.

[Applewood]

I've said that Barr isn't trustworthy.   This is an example of why.

That said, this program sounds like a lot of wishful thinking.  Coordination and information sharing?  Since when do the feds and the states ever work together?

Sounds phony to me -- like this administration was under pressure to "do something" about gun violence, so they came up with this.  But I'll bet it won't really be implemented.  If it is, expect a slew of lawsuits, which we the taxpayers will be paying to defend.

[Jazzhead]

I'd think most here would support an initiative like this.   This isn't about guns, it's about gun crime.   Dems focus their anti-gun efforts on law abiding citizens.   But guns are mere implements -  the focus can and should be on identifying bad apples and weeding them from the rest of the community.   

[libertybele]

I'd think most here would support an initiative like this.   This isn't about guns, it's about gun crime.   Dems focus their anti-gun efforts on law abiding citizens.   But guns are mere implements -  the focus can and should be on identifying bad apples and weeding them from the rest of the community.   

Gun crime?  I thought one could not legally purchase a firearm if convicted of domestic violence.  Who is going to determine what constitutes mentally ill?  Someone on an anti-anxiety med or someone institutionalized?  What crime have they committed other than being depressed?  Certainly those institutionalized wouldn't get out to purchase a weapon in the first place.  Who determines who are the bad apples??  This falls under the same premise as seizing weapons first in order to prevent a crime that hasn't been committed, so in essence you would be guilty until proven innocent!

This is not going to stop a 'criminal' from obtaining a weapon.  As an example, someone convicted of domestic violence, would be very foolish to try to obtain a gun legally and if they truly wanted to get their hands on a weapon, they'll turn to the streets.

I don't trust Barr.  Never have.

@Jazzhead  you are never going to be able to stop gun crime by hampering the ability of law abiding citizens to purchase firearms and infringing on the 2A; to think so is absolutely ridiculous and a misconception.  Gun crimes are committed by criminals period.  When you can figure out how you can prevent criminals from preventing crimes, let me know.