Carper and Castle Welcome $720,000 in Federal Funds to Reduce Gun Violence and Protect Delaware’s Neighborhoods

Washington, DC- Neighborhoods in the First State will be safer from the threat gun violence, thanks to $720,000 in federal funding welcomed today by Senator Tom Carper and Congressman Castle. The funding will be used to hire new federal and state prosecutors, support investigators, provide training, and develop and promote community outreach efforts. The grants will be distributed by the Department of Justice through the Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative. Carper and Castle voted in the last Congress to appropriate resources to fund this important state and federal partnership. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide commitment to reduce gun violence by networking existing local programs that target gun crime and providing those programs with additional tools necessary to be successful. “The reduction of violent crime is critical to improving the quality of life in our communities. As police officers across this country are telling us in no uncertain terms, common sense gun control is a central element of any successful strategy to combat violent crime,” Senator Tom Carper said. “Safety from gun violence is a critical concern in our communities,” said Castle. “Through this initiative we hope to curb gun violence in our neighborhoods and provide safe, livable conditions for our youth. It is imperative that we crack down on the illegal purchase or use of firearms in our country.” The breakdown of awards is as follows: · $400,000 to the Delaware Department of Justice; to better coordinate state, federal, and local efforts to identify and appropriately prosecute, punish and supervise juveniles who violate federal and state firearms laws. This funding will provide assistance to communities for juvenile prosecution and supervision projects with the goal of lowering gun offenses and gun violence among youths. It will aid efforts to determine the extent and nature of the juvenile gun offenses and gun violence in the community, and find the best or most innovative approaches to address the problem. · $170,000 to the Operation Disarm Support Foundation in Wilmington; to work with local, state, and federal law enforcement to address firearm-related violent crime and to promote gun safety at the local level. The funding will help the Foundation provide the community with information on gun-related violence and gun safety, by producing and distributing literature, sponsoring local workshops, and creating radio, television, messages. Advertising messages include public service announcements, educational literature, crime prevention tool kits, billboard advertisements, press releases, and news articles. · $150,000 to the Delaware Statistical Analysis Center in Dover; to increase the ability to design data-driven strategies that produce measurable decreases in firearm-related violent crime and to improve the long-term ability to understand, prosecute, and prevent firearm-related violent crime within their jurisdictions. The funding will help the Center analyze firearms-related violent crime data, develop data-driven interventions, and measure the effectiveness of those interventions in reducing firearm-related violent crime.