If you liked how well "zero tolerance" worked in schools, just think of how nice it will be on a national scale with the ATF running the show with dubyah's blessing.
[url]www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20010510/3306248s.htm[/url]
Bush, Ashcroft to announce zero-tolerance for
gun crimes
By Judy Keen
USA TODAY
WASHINGTON -- President Bush and Attorney General John Ashcroft will
announce stepped-up prosecutions of gun crimes at an appearance Monday
in Philadelphia.
They are expected to outline a plan for a nationwide crackdown on felons and
drug traffickers caught with firearms. The program is based on Project Exile,
which originated in Richmond, Va., in 1997. It was a model for similar
programs in Colorado, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia and
more than a dozen communities, including Philadelphia.
Project Exile is, in effect, a zero-tolerance policy for gun violations. Cases are
prosecuted quickly under federal, state or local laws. State and local penalties
vary. Under federal law, a felon later convicted of gun possession can be
sentenced to up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.
The current Justice Department budget includes $75 million to hire more state
and local prosecutors. Bush and Ashcroft will announce plans to hire 113
federal prosecutors at a cost of $20 million to work full-time on gun cases.
Ashcroft also wants to add $153 million in 2002 for programs aimed at
curtailing juvenile gun crimes.
Project Exile is supported by the National Rifle Association and gun-control
groups, including Handgun Control. However, some prosecutors say the
program unfairly targets minorities, and some judges say it clogs federal courts
with petty cases.
''There's no compromise, no plea, no parole'' for someone previously
convicted of a felony, says James Baker, the NRA's chief lobbyist. ''We think
it's been very effective.''
The NRA paid for billboards and radio and TV ads promoting Project Exile
in some cities with the program.
Nancy Hwa of Handgun Control applauded the Bush administration's plan but
added, ''We hope that this is not the only thing they're going to be doing.'' She
called on Bush to ''make sure that guns don't fall into the wrong hands in the
first place'' by closing a legal loophole that allows people to buy guns at gun
shows without undergoing the background checks that are required for gun
purchases from stores.
During the presidential campaign, Bush said aggressive enforcement of
existing gun laws is the best way to cut gun violence. After his confirmation in
February, Ashcroft said, ''We're going to take a hard line on people who used
guns in the commission of a crime. We should nail them.''