Attorney General Merrick B. Garland has approved an initial set of 78 communities across 47 states, territories and the District of Columbia, for designation under Section 1103 of the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022. Today, U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Wilson announced that Muskogee County, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, is included among those designated communities. The Justice Department – through its United States Attorney’s offices (USAOs) and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Field Divisions – will partner with each designated jurisdiction to develop a plan to reduce intimate partner firearm violence and to prioritize prosecutions of domestic violence offenders prohibited under 18 U.S. Code Section 922(g) from owning or possessing firearms.

Communities have been designated in close coordination with community stakeholders. They include rural areas, suburban areas, urban areas, and Tribal communities. 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 the Department to increase the use of federal tools to prosecute offenders under 18 U.S.C. 922(g). The designation represents the partnership and coordination between the department and the local jurisdiction to ensure federal resources are being leveraged effectively to address intimate partner firearm violence.

“We know that a gun in the hands of someone previously involved in intimate partner violence increases the likely deadliness of all future encounters, whether inside or outside of the home, and today’s initiative tackles this problem head-on,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson. “We are strongest when we partner together toward a common goal. Collaborating with our partners in the ATF and local, state, and Tribal agencies, we will build and implement plans to enhance public safety and protect abuse survivors in Muskogee County and throughout the Eastern District.”

“One of ATFs top priorities has been and will continue to be to reduce domestic violence. When prohibited people and abusers unlawfully possess firearms, the probability of intimate partner homicide increases substantially,” stated ATF Dallas Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey C. Boshek II. “Far too often, abuse escalates from bruises to bloodshed and tragically, loss of life. Through our partnerships with the Eastern District of Oklahoma U.S. Attorney’s Office and state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies, we will continue to dial in and aggressively charge those who commit these heinous crimes that terrorize families, shatter homes, and destroy lives.”

The Justice Department anticipates additional jurisdictions to be designated as USAOs continue coordination with their local stakeholders. All USAOs, with or without specific community designations under Section 1103, will continue to combat intimate partner firearm violence and prioritize prosecutions of domestic violence offenders as part of their Project Safe Neighborhoods strategy and in support of the Department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime.