Sec. 107. Increasing Federal prosecution of gun violence
672 words·~3 min read·
/bill/115/s/2502/is/section-107A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall establish in jurisdictions specified in subsection
(c)a program that meets the requirements of subsection (b), to be known as the Nationwide Project Exile Expansion . Each program established under subsection
(a)shall, for the jurisdiction concerned— provide for coordination with State and local law enforcement officials in the identification of violations of Federal firearms laws; provide for the establishment of agreements with State and local law enforcement officials for the referral to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the United States Attorney for prosecution of persons arrested for violations of section 922 or section 924 of title 18, United States Code, or section 5861 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, relating to firearms; provide for the establishment of multi-jurisdictional task forces, coordinated by the Executive Office of the United States attorneys to investigate and prosecute illegal straw purchasing rings that purchase firearms in one jurisdiction and transfer them to another; require that the United States attorney designate not less than 1 assistant United States attorney to prosecute violations of Federal firearms laws; provide for the hiring of agents for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to investigate violations of the provisions referred to in paragraph (2), United States Code, relating to firearms; and ensure that each person referred to the United States attorney under paragraph
(2)be charged with a violation of the most serious Federal firearm offense consistent with the act committed. Subject to paragraph (2), the jurisdictions specified in this subsection are— the 10 jurisdictions with a population equal to or greater than 100,000 persons that had the highest total number of homicides according to the uniform crime report of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the most recent year available; the 5 jurisdictions with such a population, other than the jurisdictions covered by paragraph (1), with the highest per capita rate of homicide according to the uniform crime report of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the most recent year available; and the 3 tribal jurisdictions that have the highest homicide crime rates, as determined by the Attorney General. The 15 jurisdictions described in subparagraphs
(A)and
(B)shall not include any jurisdiction other than those within the 50 States. Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, an annually thereafter, the Attorney General shall submit to the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives a report containing the following information: The number of individuals indicted for such violations of Federal firearms laws during that year by reason of the program. The increase or decrease in the number of individuals indicted for such violations of Federal firearms laws during that year by reason of the program when compared with the year preceding that year. The number of individuals held without bond in anticipation of prosecution by reason of the program. To the extent the information is available, the average length of prison sentence of the individuals convicted of violations of Federal firearms laws by reason of the program. The number of multi-jurisdiction task forces established and the number of individuals arrested, indicted, convicted or acquitted of charges for violations of the specific crimes listed in subsection (b)(2). There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out the program under this section $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019, 2020, and 2021, which shall be used for salaries and expenses of assistant United States attorneys and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives agents. The assistant United States attorneys hired using amounts authorized to be appropriated under paragraph
(1)shall prosecute violations of Federal firearms laws in accordance with subsection (b)(2). The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives agents hired using amounts authorized to be appropriated under paragraph
(1)shall, to the maximum extent practicable, concentrate their investigations on violations of Federal firearms laws in accordance with subsection (b)(2).