ATF and Sacramento Law Enforcement Partners Announce Seizure of 449 Firearms in Project Gunslinger

According to the United States Department of Justice in a recent press release, the Sacramento Law Enforcement Partners along with ATF have seized 449 firearms in their latest project called "Project Gunslinger."

As part of the strategy called "Project Gunslinger, 19 defendants have been arrested as well as 449 firearms confiscated in this latest goal to lower crimes involving guns. These new numbers were announced today by Stephen K. Martin,Special Agent in Charge of the San Francisco Field Division, as well as by Sheriff John McGinness, Chief Albert Najera, United States Attorney McGregor Scott, and Sacramento District Attorney Jan Scully.

This whole project began in October of 2006 and was run by ATF special agents, investigators from the Sacramento Police Department, as well as detectives from the Sacramento County Sheriff Department. They all knew this would be a difficult task but had key strategies to make the job easier.

Known as "Gun Slinger," these law officials would do many things in order to seize these firearms including undercover illegal purchases of weapons, firearm tracing, looking for guns during search warrants, studying recovered guns involved in crimes, as well as information they received from the 1-800-ATF-GUNS hot line they had started. All of these tactics would aid in identifying traffickers of illegal firearms.

"I believe the success of Project Gunslinger shows that the good citizens of Sacramento County are fed up with violent crime and are doing their part by reporting people with illegal guns and persons they know of who cannot lawfully possess a gun. Mid-year statistics show violent crime is down dramatically in our department's jurisdiction. Much of the credit for the drop can be given to the collaborative efforts of law enforcement, who have worked together to target gang members and violent criminals, and to the citizens of Sacramento County who are fed up with the senseless acts of violence that people with illegal guns and people who cannot lawfully possess a gun commit," said Sheriff McGinness.