In the 1990s and 2000s, the Department of Justice played a critical role in halting the violence plaguing American cities. Federal prosecutors used programs like Operation Ceasefire and Project Exile to target convicted criminals caught with guns for long prison sentences, helping to initiate the great American crime decline. Now, with cities once again beset by rising violent crime, it’s a good time to check on the DOJ’s activity. A new report from researchers at Syracuse University does just that, tracking and ranking 90 federal districts based on prosecutions of weapons offenses—generally, convicted criminals caught with guns. The results are revealing.
