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One and done

DA’s office toughens its stance on gun violence

“... if you’re going to do that in Chautauqua County, there’s going to be consequences and we’re not going to give you a break.” -District Attorney Patrick Swanson

MAYVILLE — The message is stern and the warning is clear regarding new gun policy set forth by Chautauqua County District Attorney Patrick Swanson.

Commit a crime with a gun, you’re done.

Carry a firearm illegally and you’re going to be held accountable.

Swanson came before county legislators on the Public Safety Committee on Wednesday to relay the implementation of the “Gun Done” initiative within the District Attorney’s Office. Under new policy, those who commit a crime with a gun or carry a firearm illegally will not get any kind of negotiations or plea offer. Instead, they’ll be held accountable to what the law prescribes the penalty to be.

Depending on the defendant’s record, Swanson said the penalties could range from three to 15 years in state prison.

“I thought it was important because I think the public needs to know,” Swanson said. “I also think the people that are going to commit crimes with guns need to know that if you’re going to do that in Chautauqua County, there’s going to be consequences and we’re not going to give you a break.”

Before publicly announcing the initiative, the district attorney said he spoke in depth with the police chiefs and mayors from the cities of Dunkirk and Jamestown, as well as County Sheriff Joe Gerace and County Executive Vince Horrigan. The consensus was clear with a real concern on the recent uptick in gun violence, particularly in Jamestown. During a two-day span in November, the Jamestown Police Department responded to four shootings.

“These are the things that concern the members of our community the most because their safety is involved,” Swanson said.

“The potential for some innocent bystander to get hurt in incidents such as these is great, and we want to take a position publicly to let those people know that if this is going to happen, you’re looking at significant prison time,” he added.

Nationwide, Swanson said it’s common to enter plea deals as it’s a function of many factors. But Swanson said it’s come to the point where a tougher stance needs to be taken on serious offenses dealing with guns.

“In my position, we’re limited a lot of times to a reactionary role. But I can lay out a policy like this and make it public so that maybe it saves us from one gun incident because that person thinks I won’t get a deal if I get caught with this weapon. They need to know we’re not going to deal with people that commit those crimes,” Swanson said. “We’re going to take a firm position and hope it provides a deterrent.”

Legislator Bob Bankoski, D-Dunkirk, credited Swanson for being proactive, while legislator Mark Tarbrake, R-Jamestown, said the policy reaches a number of issues in the crime world. Chairman P.J. Wendel, R-Lakewood, relayed his pleasure with the new stance while legislator Paul Whitford, D-Jamestown, said it’s long overdue.

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