Project Safe Nighborhoods
SEN. CORNYN: -- a moment ago, but I did just want to say just a couple of words and I have a longer statement that I won't burden you with, I'll ask that it be made part of the record. But I appreciate being recognized. I want to make a few comments regarding Project Safe Neighborhoods and a similar program that we started in Texas a few years ago when I was attorney general, called Texas Exile. Of course, like all good ideas, we borrowed shamelessly from the Richmond Project Exile program.
And first I want to commend the chairman for having this hearing. I think it's an important part of our law enforcement responsibilities across this country to prevent those who possess firearms illegally and use them as career criminals to commit perhaps multiple crimes on a daily basis, to try to make sure that we get those people off the street while at the same time respecting the rights of law-abiding citizens to own and use firearms for legitimate purposes.
In September of 1999, then Texas governor George W. Bush and I introduced Texas Exile. Of course, one of the things that I think was so great about that program and what's great about Project Safe Neighborhoods is the fact that rather than law enforcement agencies competing with one another, we work together at the local, state and federal level to try to address this particular problem.
Texas Exile is a crime control initiative that utilizes existing state and federal laws designed to get to the root cause of gun violence, which are criminals who illegally use and carry weapons. When law enforcement reports a crime where a weapon is used or possessed, the District Attorney's Office of the U.S. Attorney's Office, they confer, which we need to encourage, to decide whether prosecution should proceed in state or federal court, depending on the applicable penalty provisions and the facts of the crime.
The program simply opens up the federal system to state prosecutors so that criminals with weapons will receive maximum jail time. Unfortunately, under state law, particularly in my home state of Texas, too often the gun part of the offense seems to be the subject of plea bargain or otherwise not emphasized as an integral and important part of that criminal activity and punished as such. The advantage of such a system is that habitual violent offenders are essentially exiled from the city streets and potential offenders are discouraged by the threat of harsh prison terms.
Let me just summarize here in conclusion, Mr. Chairman, to just say that I'm sold on this concept. I think it's been proven to be effective and I want to do everything that I can to encourage and help facilitate the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, because I believe that homicides and other crimes can be prevented before they occur by enforcing the laws that prohibit weapons possession by felons and persons convicted of crimes of domestic violence, for example, or someone who's just merely subject to a family restraining order.
It's actually a felony for someone who is under a domestic restraining order to possess a firearm. And I believe that particularly in the most volatile of situations, domestic violence, that discouraging and hopefully eliminating the possession of firearms from someone who's subject to a protective order I think has prevented a lot of harm.
As of May the 2nd, 2003, the Texas program has produced 2,020 indictments, 1,478 convictions and 2,482 confiscations of firearms withoutfrom these career criminals. The average sentence in January 2000 is 73 months and it's noteworthy that Texas had an 82 percent increase in the prosecution of federal gun crimes over the last year. And now I believe it leads the nation in terms of the prosecution of federal firearms offenses.
So I'm pleased to be here and delighted to listen now to the witnesses, and thank you, Mr. Chairman, for giving me just a chance to make a few comments.