[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 205 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 205

  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with regard to 
    Project Exile and the prosecution of Federal firearms offenses.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 10, 1999

 Mr. Lewis of Kentucky (for himself, Mr. Hostettler, and Mr. Schaffer) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                            on the Judiciary

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                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with regard to 
    Project Exile and the prosecution of Federal firearms offenses.

Whereas Project Exile is a Federal, State and local effort led by the United 
        States Attorney's office to prosecute felons found in the possession of 
        firearms;
Whereas the program, since its establishment in Richmond, Virginia, in 1997, led 
        to the prosecution of 390 individuals in illegal possession of a firearm 
        during the following year and a reduction in the city's homicide rate by 
        one-third;
Whereas Federal prosecution offers the advantage of prompt indictments, less 
        likelihood of bond, a mandatory minimum prison sentence of five years, 
        and fines up to $250,000;
Whereas donations and contributions have enabled advertisement and publicity of 
        the consequences of possessing illegal firearms;
Whereas Richmond officials have found many in possession of illegal firearms to 
        be repeat offenders, and the United States Attorney's Office has stated 
        Project Exile demonstrates that prosecutors can undertake large-scale 
        efforts against gun crimes, even with limited resources;
Whereas Project Exile has been expanded to additional cities in Virginia, and 
        funds have been appropriated to implement the project in Philadelphia, 
        Pennsylvania, and Camden County, New Jersey;
Whereas no prosecutions have been initiated against anyone who falsified 
        information to Federal licensees (a Federal crime punishable by up to 10 
        years imprisonment), but more than 40,000 individuals have been 
        prevented from purchasing firearms since instant checks went into effect 
        November 30, 1998; and
Whereas the Department of Education reports 6,093 students were expelled for 
        bringing guns to school from 1996 to 1997, but the United States 
        Attorney's Office reports only 17 prosecutions under the Safe and Drug 
        Free Schools Act from 1996 to 1998: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) fully supports Project Exile, as it results in the 
        arrest and punishment of armed criminals through absolute 
        prosecution and imprisonment under existing law; and
            (2) urges the Department of Justice to prosecute all 
        criminal violations of Federal firearms laws.
                                 <all>