Richmonds Project Exile Formulation and Implementation
Project Exile was an approach, in 1997, to end gun violence in the Richmond metropolitan area led by the Richmond U. ... According to Governor Gilmore, “Project Exile gets straight to the point, a gun associated with drugs, felons or schools gets you five years in a Federal prison. ... This makes it easy to see why the legislators named this policy Project Exile. In the late 1990’s, before implementation of Project Exile, gun violence was beginning to plague Richmond, Virginia. ... Despite the apparent success of nationwide programs, Richmond received significant increases in gun-related crime and sought to implement an alternative strategy in the fight to reduce gun-related crime (Project Exile Hearing, 2000). The following graph shows Richmond’s exceeding gun homicides in comparison to the surrounding cities, before and after Project Exile’s implementation in 1997 (Ludwig, 2002).  There were several policy makers that played primary roles in developing Project Exile. ... They all believed in his idea, which led to the infrastructure that was necessary to begin the project. ... Attorney, the time was ripe for change (Project Exile Hearing, 2000). ... After its implementation, Project Exile was supported by influential groups and individuals to get it started. ... Wayne LaPierre, Executive Vice President of the National Rifle Association, publicly gave support and in turn made substantial donations towards the project (Tucker, 2002). The NRA has spent more than $100,000 to Richmond’s Project Exile, and sponsored the Eddie the Eagle Gun Safety Program free of charge to city schools (Phipps, 2003). However, the NRA’s support of Project Exile Extends beyond financial contributions. The organization has proven to be a valuable source of publicity for Project Exile by publicizing Project Exiles harsh consequences on radio, television and billboards (Cloud, 1998). ... Project Exile also had the support of Richmond’s most powerful politicians. ... For example, in September 1998, Gilmore hosted a dinner for Richmond’s political and business leaders at the governor’s mansion to encourage support for the project (Janofsky, 1999). Additionally, the support for Project Exile among legislators is enormous. ... The local, state, and federal administrative agencies all worked together to achieve Project Exile’s goal.