Combating Gun Violence: The Fundamentals of Firearms Prosecution

The National College of District Attorneys recently joined with the American Prosecutors Research Institute (APRI) to provide a series of five training courses in support of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) at the National Advocacy Center. PSN represents a national commitment to reduce gun crime by encouraging partnerships among local and federal prosecutors and law enforcement to target gun crime. Other components of the program focus on strategic planning, training, outreach and accountability. The Bush Administration has committed funding to hire new federal and state prosecutors to ensure the success of this project.

The training series, entitled Combating Gun Violence: the Fundamentals of Firearms Prosecution, was created to train state and local prosecutors to prosecute gun violations and implement successful gun violence reduction strategies in an effort to create safer neighborhoods. Each course lasted two and a half days and included a tour of the firearms laboratory of South Carolina’s State Law Enforcement Division. In addition, each student worked on a firearms possession case and was given the opportunity to conduct direct-examination of the arresting officer for purposes of a suppression hearing. The students then received substantive and stylistic critiques of their performances.

Other topics included Reducing Gun Violence in the Community, Relevant Legal Issues to Gun Prosecution, State and Federal Gun Laws, Witness Testimony, Predicate Questions, Working with the Police and ATF, Responding to Classic Defenses, Cross-Designation and Intake and Community Outreach. Funding for this series of training courses was provided by the Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance.

PSN stresses the importance of partnerships to successfully promote its goal of providing safer neighborhoods. This goal was enhanced by the partnership between NCDA and APRI in providing a successful training experience for approximately 300 prosecutors. These courses make state and local prosecutors across our nation better and more effective firearms prosecutors.