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Press Release

Attorney General Announces Launch of Project Guardian, A Nationwide Strategic Plan to Reduce Gun Violence

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Illinois

Initiative emphasizes enforcing gun prohibitions based on domestic violence convictions and mental 
health denials


Today, Attorney General William P. Barr announced the launch of Project Guardian, a new initiative 
designed to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws across the country. Specifically, 
Project Guardian focuses on investigating, prosecuting, and preventing gun crimes.

Reducing gun violence and enforcing federal firearms laws have always been among the Department’s 
highest priorities. In order to develop a new and robust effort to promote and ensure public 
safety, the Department reviewed and adapted some of the successes of past strategies to curb gun 
violence. Project Guardian draws on the Department’s earlier achievements, such as the 
“Triggerlock” program, and it serves as a complementary effort to the success of Project Safe 
Neighborhoods (PSN). In addition, the initiative emphasizes the importance of using all modern 
technologies available to law enforcement to promote gun crime intelligence.

“Gun crime remains a pervasive problem in too many communities across America. Today, the 
Department of Justice is redoubling its commitment to tackling this issue through the launch of 
Project Guardian,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “Building on the success of past programs 
like Triggerlock, Project Guardian will strengthen our efforts to reduce gun violence by allowing 
the federal government and our state and local partners to better target offenders who use guns in 
crimes and those who try to buy guns illegally.”

“It is our continued goal to reduce gun violence in Southern Illinois,” said U.S. Attorney Steven 
D. Weinhoeft. “We expect Project Guardian to complement our existing PSN program and enhance our 
ability to engage proactively with our law enforcement partners in early prevention efforts, 
information sharing, and coordinated prosecutions.”

“ATF has a long history of strong partnerships in the law enforcement community,” said Acting 
Director Regina Lombardo. “Make no mistake, the women and men of ATF remain steadfast to our core 
mission of getting crime guns off of our streets. ATF and U.S. Attorneys nationwide will leverage 
these partnerships even further through enhanced community outreach initiatives and coordination 
with local, state, and tribal law enforcement and prosecutors to cut the


pipeline of crime guns from those violent individuals who seek to terrorize our communities. 
Project Guardian will enhance ATF’s Crime Gun Intelligence, to include identifying, investigating 
and prosecuting those involved in the straw purchases of firearms, lying on federal firearms 
transaction forms, and those subject to the mental health prohibition of possessing firearms.”

Project Guardian’s implementation is based on five principles:

1) Coordinated Prosecution. Federal prosecutors and law enforcement will coordinate with state, 
local, and tribal law enforcement and prosecutors to consider potential federal prosecution for new 
cases involving a defendant who: a) was arrested in possession of a  firearm;
b) is believed to have used a firearm in committing a crime of violence or drug trafficking crime 
prosecutable in federal court; or c) is suspected of actively committing violent crime(s) in the 
community on behalf of a criminal organization.

2) Enforcing the Background Check System. United States Attorneys, in consultation with the Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in their district, 
will create new, or review existing, guidelines for intake and prosecution of federal cases 
involving false statements (including lie-and-try, lie-and-buy, and straw purchasers) made during 
the acquisition or attempted acquisition of firearms from Federal Firearms Licensees.

Particular emphasis is placed on individuals convicted of violent felonies or misdemeanor crimes of 
domestic violence, individuals subject to protective orders, and individuals who are fugitives 
where the underlying offense is a felony or misdemeanor crime of domestic violence; individuals 
suspected of involvement in criminal organizations or of providing firearms to criminal 
organizations; and individuals involved in repeat denials.

3) Improved Information Sharing. On a regular basis, and as often as practicable given current 
technical limitations, ATF will provide to state law enforcement fusion centers a report listing 
individuals for whom the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) has issued 
denials, including the basis for the denial, so that state and local law enforcement can take 
appropriate steps under their laws.

4) Coordinated Response to Mental Health Denials. Each United States Attorney will ensure that 
whenever there is federal case information regarding individuals who are prohibited from possessing 
a firearm under the mental health prohibition, such information continues to be entered timely and 
accurately into the United States Attorneys’ Offices’ case-management system for prompt submission 
to NICS. ATF should engage in additional outreach to state and local law enforcement on how to use 
this denial information to better assure public safety.

Additionally, United States Attorneys will consult with relevant district stakeholders to assess 
feasibility of adopting disruption of early engagement programs to address mental-health- 
prohibited individuals who attempt to acquire a firearm. United States Attorneys should consider, 
when appropriate, recommending court-ordered mental health treatment for any sentences issued to 
individuals prohibited based on mental health.

5) Crime Gun Intelligence Coordination. Federal, state, local, and tribal prosecutors and  law  
enforcement  will  work  together  to  ensure  effective  use  of  the  ATF’s  Crime  Gun

Intelligence Centers (CGICs), and all related resources, to maximize the use of modern intelligence 
tools and technology. These tools can greatly enhance the speed and effectiveness in identifying 
trigger-pullers and finding their guns, but the success depends in large part on state, local, and 
tribal law enforcement partners sharing ballistic evidence and firearm recovery data with the ATF.

Federal law enforcement represents only about 15% of all law enforcement resources nationwide. 
Therefore, partnerships with state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the communities they 
serve are critical to addressing gun crime. The Department recognizes that sharing information with 
our state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners at every level will enhance public safety, 
and provide a greater depth of resources available to address gun crime on a national level.

For more information on Project Guardian, see the Attorney General’s memorandum   at:
/media/1122011/dl?inline

Updated October 4, 2021