Grand Rapids Reporter

U.S. Justice Department Designates Lansing in the Western District of Michigan Under Section 1103 of the Violence Against Women Act, Prioritizing Firearms Prosecutions of Domestic Violence Offenders

Grand Rapids, Mich – U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten today announced that U.S. Department of Justice 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. Last Friday marked the 30th Anniversary of VAWA. The City of Lansing was identified as a designated community in the Western District of Michigan.

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 firearms.

“Domestic violence harms families, perpetuates social inequities, and leaves victims fearful and feeling like they have nowhere to turn,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “My office is fully committed to working with our law enforcement and community partners to protect victims and we will continue to identify opportunities to prosecute gun offenders with a record of domestic and intimate-partner violence.”

“Three decades ago, VAWA transformed our national response to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking,” said Attorney General Garland. “Its enactment sent a message: gender-based and intimate-partner violence is not just a private matter, not just a local matter, but a national crisis — one that our country was no longer willing to tolerate. As we take stock of the progress that VAWA has advanced, the Department of Justice remains committed to using every tool at our disposal to end these forms of violence and support survivors.”

“Everyone deserves to feel safe in their relationships. The use of firearms to commit domestic violence is unacceptable,” said ATF Detroit Special Agent in Charge James Deir. “ATF and our law enforcement partners remain resolute in holding violent offenders who threaten the safety of their family and our community accountable.”

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.

The Justice Department anticipates additional jurisdictions will 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.