MANHATTAN: NEW ANTI-GUN INITIATIVES

Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly, responding to a recent surge in drug-
and gang-related shootings, detailed new initiatives yesterday to curb gun
violence. Mr. Kelly said the department would begin prosecuting suspects in
cases involving guns or drugs in federal court, where sentences are
harsher. He has also assigned about eight additional detectives to a joint
federal task force and the department's Firearms Investigation Unit.
Moreover, he is reviving a gun-buy-back program that pays people to turn in
their weapons. While overall reported crime is down, shooting incidents, as
of April 14, are up 18.7 percent from last year at this time, with
increases in 39 of the 76 precincts.