[Andrew Rothman]

http://www.startribune.com/stories/484/4154803.html

U.S. Attorney Tom Heffelfinger said recent gun law changes and shootings presented a "clear call" for law enforcement authorities to recommit themselves to enforcing gun laws.

"We are publicly demonstrating our commitment . . . to work together to reduce gun violence and to protect the people -- particularly the children -- of Minnesota from death and injury at the hands of guns," he said at a news conference.

The problem, I guess, isn't "hand guns" but "guns with hands!"

:rolleyes:

[Big_R]

A few things to consider:

1. Ms. Louwagie is about as bleeding heart as they come.

2. L.E. was always doing their part with gun crimes. A lot of those charges get dropped under plea.

3. Both of the shooters mentioned in the article were already breaking both state and frederal law.

4. LE and the prosecuters are for the most part reactionary forces.

5. They should be happy that MN now has armed citizens out there protecting themselves and "the children".

Ryan

[dandean316]

Here's the story since you need to be a subscriber to the website to access:
Weeks after two students were fatally shot in a central Minnesota high school and a five-year-old boy died from a bullet in Duluth, top prosecutors in 10 mostly outstate Minnesota counties stepped up efforts Tuesday to combat gun violence.

They vowed to work with federal prosecutors to take gun crimes to whichever court has a stiffer penalty -- state or federal.

U.S. Attorney Tom Heffelfinger said recent gun law changes and shootings presented a "clear call" for law enforcement authorities to recommit themselves to enforcing gun laws.

"We are publicly demonstrating our commitment . . . to work together to reduce gun violence and to protect the people -- particularly the children -- of Minnesota from death and injury at the hands of guns," he said at a news conference. Prosecutors from five metro-area counties have had partnerships with the U.S. attorney's office since 2000. Most gun cases will still be prosecuted by county attorneys, officials said.

"We cannot just react," said Stearns County Attorney Janelle Kendall. "In Stearns County, we are very very aware of that right now."

Two students were shot Sept. 24 at Rocori High School in Cold Spring, which is in Stearns County. Both later died. Jason McLaughlin, a Rocori freshman, has been charged in the case.

Earlier that morning in Duluth, 5-year-old Marcus Gabriel Johnson was killed when several people trying to push their way into his family's downtown apartment fired a shot. Four young adults and a juvenile were charged in the case.

County attorneys in Beltrami, Carver, Cass, Goodhue, Mahnomen, Olmsted, St. Louis, Sherburne, Stearns and Wright counties are working with the U.S. attorney's office this year. They are urging children to pledge not to bring guns to school and to not resolve disputes with guns.

County attorneys in Hennepin, Ramsey, Anoka, Dakota and Washington counties joined with then-U.S. Attorney B. Todd Jones in 2000 in a similar effort.

The U.S. attorney's office did not have statistics available on the program's success so far. Heffelfinger said gun prosecutions in his office have increased about 25 percent in the past 12 months, but that couldn't all be attributed to the partnership agreement.

Under some circumstances, carrying a gun can be a crime in one jurisdiction but not in another. For instance, possessing a gun while under a domestic violence restraining order is a federal crime but not a state crime, officials said. The partnerships are intended to make sure such cases aren't missed.

The agreement is now under the umbrella of a Bush administration program called Project Safe Neighborhoods. Heffelfinger's office launched the effort to expand the program in August. Tuesday's news conference came in recognition of America's Safe Schools Week.

Under the same federal umbrella program, Heffelfinger said, federal authorities have worked with county and tribal authorities on Minnesota's 11 Indian reservations, leading to the indictment of 16 people for gun or drug violations in the past seven months.

In Minneapolis, city police intend to expand a program to work with state and federal agencies to get illegal guns off the streets.

Edited to fix formatting -- pax

[Standing Wolf]

The U.S. attorney's office did not have statistics available on the program's success so far.

...but the check is in the mail.

[greyhound]

protect the people -- particularly the children -- of Minnesota from death and injury at the hands of guns,

Personally, I agree with the above statement....as long as they differentiate between those "hands" that have jumped the legal hoops and are "blessed" to own firearms, and them that ain't and cause 99.9% of the problems...

and hey, bud, after 9/11 I think the nation's getting wise to the everything bad happens to"the children" claptrap....