A recent memo from Interim U.S. Attorney Ed Martin, appointed by President Donald Trump, ordered federal prosecutors in Washington D.C. to pursue all firearms cases referred to them in addition to pre-trial detention against persons charged with firearm crimes.
The memo outlines specific directives to reduce violent crimes as part of the “Make D.C. Safe Again” initiative.
“We will flood the federal district court with cases – to make our City safe,” Martin wrote in an email. Reuters obtained the internal memo and the accompanying email this week.
The memo states that prosecutors must apply for pre-trial detention, which is when an individual is held in jail while they await trial. If a magistrate judge refuses, prosecutors must appeal.
Further, it states that prosecutors can no longer refuse to bring firearms charges unless they receive approval from Jonathan Hornok, chief of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division at the Washington Office.
Hornok took the place of Denise Cheung, who resigned last month after she said she was pressured by the Trump Administration to launch a criminal investigation and freeze assets awarded by the Environmental Protection Agency – a move she argued was unwarranted.
In addition to targeting gun-related cases, Martin said that a dozen or so agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had been re-assigned to work the new initiative. It’s worth noting that Trump recently appointed FBI Director Kash Patel as acting ATF Director (more on that here).
A spokesperson for Martin’s office refused to comment.
Should all firearms cases be litigated? Let us know what you think in the comments below. For more on what’s happening in the gun world, check out our News page.
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First, the ridiculous gun laws in DC should be changed and should have reciprocity with every state that has concealed carry permits. Second, every criminal (e.g. felon in possession; use of a gun during the commission of a crime; unlicensed carry) should be prosecuted.
With that said, the prosecutorial memo is right on. The citizens, through the prosecutors, deserve zealous advocates for the law, and not to pretend to be another criminal defense attorney. Our system of justice depends on adversarial advocacy and the rule of law. If we do not have the rule of law, there is only anarchy, and all other rights are not rights, and instead subject to the whims and discretion of self-appointed monarchs.
Going to DC, law-abiding citizens cannot exercise 2A rights and are helpless like in NY against criminals with guns. That needs to change.
Shocking that they don't think DC residents get the same 2A rights they claim for themselves. Wonder why that might be. Something something Huey Newton, I bet. That'd track with all of Trump's opinions being pickled decades ago, anyway.
90% of the 2A absolutists who said they needed their guns in case of a tyrannical government are on the side of the tyrant. Wonder what it will take to wake them up.
So the selective application of being tough on violent crimes is a problematic. When you pardon convicted felons from Jan 6 who don’t even live in DC, but then attempt to remand everyone into custody who are only accused of a gun-related crime, that is not an equal application of the law, especially when those arrested will most likely be African-Americans, while you pardoned MAGA whites.