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| Wilson Seeks for Safer Neighborhoods |
March 22, 2000 |
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Bill Provides Incentives for States to Aggressively Prosecute Violent Criminals Who Use Guns
WASHINGTON, DC -- Congresswoman Heather Wilson today announced her support for “Project Exile: The Safe Streets and Neighborhood Act of 2000.” The bill would help make neighborhoods and communities safer by providing flexible grants to states that commit to vigorously prosecute violent criminals who use guns.
“Ensuring the safety of communities where our children play and go to school is absolutely critical. Project Exile sends a clear message to violent criminals that we will not tolerate gun crimes. This is a proven, common sense approach to stopping violent crime and I hope New Mexico will strongly consider adopting this successful program,” said Wilson.
The Project Exile Act will provide resources to states that ensure a mandatory minimum sentence of five years (without parole) for any adult who uses or carries a firearm during and in relation to a violent crime (murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault) or serious drug trafficking offense (an offense under state law involving manufacturing or distributing a controlled substance, for which a maximum term of imprisonment of ten years or more is prescribed by law).
“In states and communities around the country where aggressive prosecution of gun crimes has been coupled with tough prison sentences, violent crime has gone down dramatically,” said Wilson. “This bill would provide $100 million over the next 5 years as an incentive for states to implement such programs.”
In order to qualify for grants, states must take three steps: 1) require a mandatory minimum sentence without parole for anyone who uses or carries a firearm in any violent crime or serious drug trafficking offense, or for a violent convict who is caught possessing gun; 2) implement a public awareness campaign to make violent criminals aware of the tough sentences for gun crimes; and, 3) work with federal law enforcement authorities to promote federal cooperation to ensure criminals who use guns receive tough sentences.
“I just think that those federal gun laws were put there for a reason. We don’t want criminals to have guns,” said Ray Wilkinson, the New Mexico State Coordinator of the Student Pledge Against Gun Violence. “If you look at Project Exile`s success in Richmond, Virginia, we have a coalition of people on both sides of the gun control issue, including Handgun Control Inc. and the NRA. We should shout
it from the rooftops: Here’s something both sides can agree on. People agree that Project Exile is effective, and I’m glad to see Congresswoman Wilson taking the lead in this initiative.”
Qualifying states would be allowed to use their funds to strengthen their criminal and juvenile justice systems in a wide variety of ways: hiring and training more judges, prosecutors and probation officers; increasing prison capacity; and developing information-sharing case management systems to build case files for serious offenders.
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