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TRAC: Jump Seen in Federal Weapons Prosecutions

Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse: “The latest available data from the Justice Department reveal a substantial jump in federal weapons prosecutions during March and April 2013. For the first two months of this calendar year these counts had hovered around 500, down from the average level of 648 during the last fiscal year. But in March they rebounded to 673 prosecutions — up 30.7 percent. In April they rose another 3.6 percent to 697. Questions about the intensity of weapons enforcement have long been an issue in the national debate over proposals to strengthen federal gun laws. So far in FY 2013, the Southern District of Alabama (Mobile) ranks first in the country in terms of its rate of federal weapons prosecutions, with the Western District of Tennessee (Memphis) in second place. In terms of the sheer numbers rather than rates, the Western District of Missouri (Kansas City) has prosecuted the highest number in the nation. For more details, including other districts among the top ten most active, see the report.”

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