Washington, DC – A new
initiative to reduce gun violence across Oregon will rely on a law
written by Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) in 1984 to target as many
as 6,800 of the state's most hardened prior offenders. "Project
Safe Neighborhoods," a Federal, state and local partnership
announced today by U.S. Attorney Mike Mosman, will seek to arrest
"armed career criminals" still carrying weapons in Oregon.
Currently, 6,800 people in the state have been
identified as subject to the Armed Career Criminals Act of 1984,
a law Wyden wrote with Senator Arlen Specter (R-Penn.) that mandates
a 15-year Federal prison sentence for criminals with three violent
offenses on their records who are then found in possession of a
weapon. Project Safe Neighborhoods is making the apprehension of
armed criminals who fall under this statute a key component of the
state's fight against gun violence.
"When I wrote the Armed Career Criminals
Act, I envisioned that Federal, state and local law enforcers could
work together to take the most violent criminals out of Oregon communities
and make all our neighborhoods safer," Wyden said. "Project
Safe Neighborhoods creates that cooperation and will be a major
step forward in the enforcement of this law."
A classic study states that one-half of all
crimes, and fully two-thirds of violent crimes, are committed by
only six percent of the criminal population. From its inception,
the Wyden law has sought to target that small percentage of criminals
who repeatedly commit violent acts. In 1986, Wyden wrote an amendment
to the law to include repeat drug offenders found in possession
of firearms.
Project Safe Neighborhoods is a joint
effort of the U.S. Attorney's Office, Federal, state and local law
enforcers, and community leaders across Oregon. In addition to targeting
armed career criminals, it also seeks to reduce teen gun violence
and domestic violence involving firearms.
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