As the country gets rid of the COVID lockdown, gun crime continues to rise steadily across the United States.

The US Department of Justice is launching a new strike force aimed at cracking down on illegal firearms Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said on Tuesday.

The strike force will focus on reducing violent crimes through activities aimed at “major incidents.” Gun smuggling Corridors,” including New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, DC, Monaco said at an event sponsored by the Police Executive Research Forum.

As part of this work, Monaco stated that the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the target area will coordinate with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to focus on “the source of guns, where they are used for violent crime… and trace the entire network.”

Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement, “The department is taking another concrete step to address violent crime and illegal gun trafficking. Our gun smuggling combat force will investigate and destroy crimes. Guns are brought into our community and cause tragic consequences.”

The Department of Justice’s new initiative comes as President Joe Biden will address the recent surge in shootings and other violent crimes on Wednesday.

As of June 22, there have been 297 Mass shootingAccording to data compiled by gun violence files, local police departments in some major cities across the country have reported a surge in homicides.

Rising crime It is a key issue for the general public, especially in large cities. New York City conducts a primary election in the mayoral race today.

Leading Republican and Democratic candidates have expressed support for fighting crime and increasing police budgets.

Democratic front-runner and former New York police chief Eric Adams attributed part of the blame to anti-police slogans, which have translated into modest cuts in police budgets in some cities.

Adams and others say that the “divestment of police” campaign has compromised the ability of law enforcement agencies to fight crime.

call”Cancel funding for the police“It is very popular among progressives across the United States, especially after George Floyd was killed in police custody in Minneapolis last June.

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death. The previous year’s demonstration was a broader protest a part of. Black people’s fate is also a fate movement.

But criminologists and crime researchers do not believe it. They say that crime is caused by countless factors. Ernesto Lopez, Research Expert, Criminal Justice Commission Tell Al Jazeera Before the death of George Floyd, the crime rate was on the rise in 2020.

Biden also took action Curb proliferation “Ghost guns” are not sold as assembled guns, but kits that can be converted into working guns, so they are not subject to the same set of regulations.

Later this week, the Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on whether to support the confirmation of David Chipman, Biden’s candidate to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Guns and Explosives.

Monaco said the department plans to issue more announcements on Wednesday on how it intends to tackle the problem of violent crime.