Manhattan district attorney works to curb interstate gun trafficking: ‘It’s a national issue’ | US news

At a time of intense focus on high-profile and local gun violence in the United States, Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg was appointed to lead Prosecutors Against Gun Violence (PAGV), a national group that has been working to reduce shootings and violence since 2014.

Bragg said he plans to bring his “big city experience” to the national group and wants to collaborate with colleagues against interstate gun smuggling.

“I’ve been focused on gun issues for a long time. I grew up in Harlem in the ’80s and I’m no stranger to gun violence. A semi-automatic gun was pointed at my head and bullets were flying toward me,” Bragg said.

Bragg will replace Bronx district attorney Darcel Clark, who announced her departure from the organization on Wednesday, and will join Columbus, Ohio city attorney Zach Klein as co-chair.

PAGV was founded by Bragg’s predecessor in the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, Cyrus Vance Jr., and former Los Angeles city attorney Mike Feuer; This team formed the bipartisan group to address, prevent and respond to gun violence through prosecution, promote safe firearm storage, and go after firearms traffickers. The bipartisan group consists of more than 50 prosecutors, including Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins and Atlanta District Attorney Fani Willis.

In a country where most murders are committed with firearms (in 2023) approximately 23,000 people were killed In the United States, where 18,000 people are armed with guns, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, prosecutors can play a key role in reducing those numbers by convicting shooters and going after people. illegal funneling Bragg said the weapons are moving into communities.

Since being sworn in as prosecutor in early 2022, Bragg said he and his office have focused heavily on stemming the flow of so-called ghost guns, or unregistered firearms produced with a printer or purchased as kits online and assembled at home. Introduced legislation banning the production of 3D printed weapons in 2023; In 2024, he called on YouTube to change its algorithm so that the platform does not recommend ghost gun making tutorials; In March, he called on printer manufacturers to create deterrent measures to prevent people from printing guns.

Bragg’s appointment to PAGV comes as Donald Trump and his administration portray major US cities such as Chicago and San Francisco as crime-ridden areas in need of federal intervention.

In reality, the number Murders in many major US citiesLos Angeles is in decline, including Memphis and Philadelphia.

According to New York police data, 39 people have been killed in Manhattan so far this year; At the same point in 2024, that number was 61.

Yet gun violence remains a persistent and deadly problem for many American communities. The vast majority (95 percent) of shooting victims in the county are black or Latino, Bragg said. This persistent disparity underscores the need for increased collaboration among prosecutors, social workers and nonprofits to reach people who have lost a friend to violence before they retaliate, Bragg said.

“We are focusing on our resources and seeing the impacts,” he said. “He is receiving services to address this trauma before it metastasizes,” Bragg added. “Unfortunately, we see that some people become victims of gun violence and then become perpetrators of it.”

This is a collaboration that has borne fruit in recent years. In cities across the country, local leaders see partnerships between law enforcement and community violence prevention groups helping reduce the number of shootings.

But the model is under threat from many of the local violence prevention organizations that Bragg’s office partners with to provide victim services and mentoring to the small group of teenagers and young men responsible for the majority of shootings and violence under severe financial stress. In April, the Trump administration canceled more than $150 million in grant funding for such programs as part of a larger $800 million grant cut administered by the Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) to organizations that prevent and respond to gun violence, sexual assault, and hate crimes; supporting foster youth; and provide reentry services.

Since being sworn in as District Attorney, Bragg’s office has been trying to address gun violence with summer programs for youth; Shootings increase frequently during this season.

He gave the office last summer about $300,000 To nonprofit organizations operating in Harlem, where shootings are a persistent problem for residents. Bragg said the funds can’t replace money flowing during the Biden administration, but could “encourage collaboration” between nonprofits with similar missions.

“We are aware of the cuts and we cannot argue against this being completely violated. What we are seeing are groups doing more with less,” he said.

Still, Bragg is hopeful he can introduce his colleagues to approaches that have proven successful in Manhattan and learn what other jurisdictions are struggling with.

“This is about learning and realizing that what we see here is a national issue and that it manifests itself in the same way elsewhere.