Federal partnership to address Hawaii domestic abusers with guns

Honolulu will be one of 78 communities in 47 states to prioritize federal firearms prosecutions of domestic violence offenders, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will partner with U.S. Attorney’s offices to “develop a plan to reduce intimate partner firearm violence and to prioritize prosecutions of domestic violence offenders ” who are not allowed to own guns.

“Domestic violence remains one of the most devastating crimes plaguing our community, and when perpetrators possess firearms, the consequences are too often deadly, ” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii Clare E. Connors, in a statement. “This initiative demonstrates our commitment to working with our local and state law enforcement partners by using federal laws and federal resources to help protect potential victims from the illegal use of firearms.”

The designations were created under Section 1103 of the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022.

“We are continuing our efforts to ensure that intimate partner firearm violence is addressed in a proactive manner and we continue to work to deter domestic violence offenders from possessing firearms, investigating those who choose to do so illegally, ” said ATF Seattle Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Blais, in a statement. “Each of our field offices has a Violence Against Woman Act coordinator, as maintaining the safety of our families and communities is the cornerstone of ATF’s mission in partnership with our U.S. Attorney offices.”

The ATF’s Seattle Field Division is responsible for Hawaii.

The Justice Department used data to identify communities that could benefit from increased focus on intimate partner violence resources and where the local jurisdiction is “committed to partnering ” with federal law enforcement to increase the use of federal tools to prosecute offenders.

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