Lexington Ky Puts Power Behind Gun Laws

WEASEL-88

Legal team puts power behind gun lawsFederal, county officials push harshest penaltyBy Louise TaylorHERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITERPeople who commit crimes with guns in Lexington may find themselves facing harsher punishment than they did in the past, thanks to new program that may be unique in the United States.The concept is simple, but the undertaking is massive: Every two weeks, federal and county investigators and prosecutors meet and sift through case files on recent crimes involving guns. Rather than work independently, as their counterparts in other jurisdictions do, the prosecutors and police cooperatively decide where the accused will face the maximum possible penalty: in federal or state court.Gun control advocates and opponents long have argued over the need for more gun restrictions, often with the National Rifle Association among those asserting that existing gun laws go unprosecuted."Well, guess what? They were right. And we decided to emphasize existing gun laws and prosecute people who use guns in the commission of a crime, felons with guns, and those people who own illegal guns," said Fayette Commonwealth's Attorney Ray Larson.The project was the brainchild of Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Rachelle Williams, who was a student at the University of Kentucky law school and wanted to carve out a job for herself last year at the office of the Fayette County commonwealth's attorney.When Ray Larson told her he had no openings and couldn't hire her, Williams shot right back: "What if I get a grant?"Go for it, Larson replied. And a few months later, last summer, Williams had snagged a three-year U.S. Department of Justice grant of about $40,000 annually to create Operation Cease-Fire. A one-time $30,000 state grant is paying for data entry and clerical work. Cease-Fire's aim: To reduce the number of gun crimes by increasing the prosecution and the punishment of those who commit them."I don't think this is going on anywhere else in the country," Larson said."A lot of people who have guns shouldn't have them. A big part of Cease-Fire is sending out the message that there are penalties attached to having a gun illegally."The statistics are stark: More than 300 guns are seized each year in Lexington, where 70 percent of murders and more than half of all robberies involve guns.Williams said that 172 cases in the past few months have been pored over at the biweekly Cease-Fire meetings, which are attended by representatives of the U.S. Attorney's Office, Larson's office, the county attorney, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Lexington police, the Fayette County sheriff and the state Department of Corrections. Of that, 76 have been resolved by convictions and others are awaiting action.