Harsher penalties on the way for firearm offenders
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – Lansing law enforcement agencies working through a partnership with the U.S. Attorney of the Western District of Michigan will have federal punishment options for gun violations in their tool kit.
In the past 6 weeks, Lansing Police Department have investigated 6 homicides. That’s as the area moves into the warmer weather of summer when violence increases, LPD officials report.
That deadly combination led to the launch of a partnership between local law enforcement and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, dubbed “Safe Summer 2024.” Under the partnership, local gun law violations could be prosecuted and penalized under federal laws.
“Under this program, our office is promising to federally prosecute federal firearm offenses that involve the use of crime guns,” U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said.
The partnership comes as national statistics reveal the number one cause of death for young Americans – ages 1 to 19 – is gun violence, Totten said,
The partnership is being implemented in multiple communities in the Western District of Michigan – including Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Benton Harbor and Muskegon.
Totten said the expansion of the partnership is “encouraging.”
“I’m encouraged to see so many people here in Lansing and beyond, who are united against gun violence,” Totten said.
The partnership goes into effect this weekend – Memorial Day weekend. Under the agreements, people who are accused of committing federal firearm offenses – including felon in possession of a firearm or possession of a fully automatic gun – will be prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. That, in turn, will result in harsher penalties and longer prison terms.
“Don’t test our efforts this summer,” Lansing Chief of Police Ellery Sosebee said Thursday. “As you can see, we have a whole cadre of law enforcement and prosecution on that stage that is willing to find you, arrest you and put you in jail for a very, very long time. So, it’s not a good time to test the effort.”
Sosebee said state law limits the penalties the Ingham County Prosecutor can obtain with a successful prosecution. But the federal laws provide much stricter punishments.
While the partnership was front and center on Thursday, Mayor Andy Schor said the city’s focus remains on prevention. But, he said, keeping people off the streets for a longer period of time will enhance their prevention efforts.
“We are going to use all the tools in the toolbox, and now you’ve got the U.S. Attorney who’s putting the tools of the federal government into our hands,” Schor said. “Really, this is a warning to anybody with an illegal gun.”
The partnership will run through Labor Day.
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