The US Justice Department is launching a new strike force aimed at cracking down on illegal firearms trafficking, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said on Tuesday, Trend reports citing Aljazeera.
The strike force will be focused on reducing violent crime by targeting activity in “significant gun trafficking corridors” including New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, DC, Monaco said during an event sponsored by the Police Executive Research Forum.
As part of this effort, Monaco said US Attorney’s offices in the targeted areas will coordinate with federal, state and local law enforcement to focus on “where the guns are originating, where they’re used in violent crime… and going after the entire network”.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement “the department is taking another concrete step to address violent crime and illegal firearms trafficking. Our firearms trafficking strike forces will investigate and disrupt the networks that channel crime guns into our communities with tragic consequences.”