Sessions Promises to ‘Properly Enforce’ Current Gun Laws, Endorses NRA-Backed Project Exile

Freebeacon.com ^ | Jan 10, 2017 | Stephen Gutowski

[KeyLargo]

Sessions Promises to ‘Properly Enforce’ Current Gun Laws, Endorses NRA-Backed Project Exile

Stephen Gutowski January 10, 2017

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R., Ala.) said Tuesday he would prosecute gun crimes that fall under federal jurisdiction during his confirmation hearing for attorney general.

Sessions’ views on gun crime prosecutions were made clear during an exchange between him and Sen. John Cornyn (R., Texas). Cornyn framed the question in terms of violence against police and gun violence against minority communities. He specifically focused on gun crimes committed by felons who were already prohibited from possessing firearms.

“We ought to hold our police and law enforcement officers up in the high regard to which they deserve based on their service to the communities, and your comments remind me to some extent of chief David Brown’s comments, the Dallas police chief, following the tragic killing of five Dallas police officers recently, where he said that police ought to be held accountable,” Cornyn said. “But under no circumstances could any assault against a police officer be justified based on what somebody else did somewhere at some time. You for one appreciate that very much.”

“You mentioned Baltimore and Chicago,” Cornyn continued. “We’ve seen an incredible number of people, frequently in minority communities, who have been killed as a result of crimes related to felons who perhaps are in possession of guns that they have no legal right to be in possession of.”

Cornyn went on to mention an NRA-backed federal prosecution program named Project Exile and criticized the Obama administration’s efforts to prosecute gun crimes.

[KeyLargo]

Considering the Democrat big city mayors Sancturay cities view on the Federal Government is to keep pumping Billions of dollars into shielding illegals from the laws and no enforcing existing law and Trump intending to turn off the spigot of taxpayer money, something that Trump will, I am sure consider is implementing 'Project Exile' which Obama refused to do.

“Earlier you talked about prosecuting gun crimes,” he said. “I’m glad to hear you say that. Project Exile, which originated I think in Richmond, Virginia, which targeted felons and other people who cannot legally own or possess firearms, was enormously affected. When I look at the record of the last five and 10 years at the Justice Department, prosecution of those kinds of crimes down 15.5 percent in the last five years, down 34.8 percent in the last ten years.”

Simple concept, take an existing neglected law, enforce it, make sure every criminal knows about it, and offer no exceptions.

[OKSooner]

Next stop, Chicago.

[jch10]

Wonder why CSPAN hasn’t shown this. I’ve been watching for it. They must have run it in the middle of the night!,

[arthurus]

There is no Constitutional justification for banning unincarcerated felons from possession of guns. No enforcement of gun laws will deter felons from possession and use of guns. Just piling more criminal charges on a felon who uses a gun is not useful. He has already committed a serious crime and is charged with that crime.It is like Hate laws which themselves are unConstitutional.

[KeyLargo]

“There is no Constitutional justification for banning unincarcerated felons from possession of guns. No enforcement of gun laws will deter felons from possession and use of guns. Just piling more criminal charges on a felon who uses a gun is not useful. He has already committed a serious crime and is charged with that crime.It is like Hate laws which themselves are unConstitutional.”

Maybe on some other planet that view might work.

However in the reality of Democrat controlled cites, local and state gun crime laws are routinely unenforced and ignored.

Chicago in particular eliminated and disbanded the Gun Court, and gun crime police task forces, long ago so as not to displease the local West Side reverends and black lives matter political groups.

The only way to have effective gun crime law enforcement is to enforce the existing Federal law in those cities.

[Obbiee]

Cornyn was Texas biggest mistake ever. He is a Rino, maybe flat out democrat..no one knows for sure. Ugh, and conservatives want to hate Cruz. This is truly a backward time in which we live.

[Cen-Tejas]

..........here’s a little evidence for your claims......
Liberty (at link) rates him 52-48 Liberal on his voting record.

I voted for him a long time ago but not the last time.

https://www.conservativereview.com/members/john-cornyn/liberty-card/

[Qiviut]

Two links on Project Exile:

Project Exile, U.S. Attorney’s Office — Eastern District of Virginia
https://www.ojjdp.gov/pubs/gun_violence/profile38.html

Program Profile: Project Exile
https://www.crimesolutions.gov/ProgramDetails.aspx?ID=413

I remember the ads when they were running: “An illegal gun will get you 5 years in Federal prison”

[petro45acp]

“The only way to have effective gun crime law enforcement is to enforce the existing Federal law in those cities.”

And for law abiding folk to go about armed and trained, ready to defend themselves right then, right there.

KYPD

[i_robot73]

>
There is no Constitutional justification for banning unincarcerated felons from possession of guns. No enforcement of gun laws will deter felons from possession and use of guns. Just piling more criminal charges on a felon who uses a gun is not useful. He has already committed a serious crime and is charged with that crime.It is like Hate laws which themselves are unConstitutional.
>

You are spot on...mostly (not directed at you, per se. More of the verbal ‘switch-a-roo’). IMO, too many on the right don’t debate correctly.

Felons are\belong in jail.
Citizens are\do not.

Felons relinquish some Rights while serving their time.
Citizens retain all their Rights.

We do not have a caste system in the U.S. An ex-felon is exactly that: one whom has ‘paid their due to society’ for their crime(s) and again entered the ranks of the Citizenry.

[MeanWestTexan]

“just piling more criminal charges on a felon who uses a gun is not useful”

Sure it’s useful . . they rot in prison, which makes us safer.

Better would be to kill them, but our masters on the SCOTUS say we can’t do that.

[arthurus]

Maybe on some other planet that view might work.

What might work on another planet?
I am not here proposing a plan of action or a program. I made a statement about the Constitutionality of certain laws.