Because the man was a felon, merely having the weapon could be a serious federal crime – precisely the sort of case federal authorities long made a staple in their efforts to combat violent crime in one of the United States’ most dangerous cities. Last year, federal prosecutors in Maryland charged 131 people with violating the two most commonly enforced federal gun laws. The retreat from gun enforcement extends beyond Baltimore. Reeves, the former ICE supervisor, said his office was inundated with a rotating assortment of investigators from other agencies who had been ordered to help with immigration enforcement. The decline in federal gun prosecutions in Maryland was steeper than the drop in crime this year.

Source: The Telegraph December 22, 2025 12:17 UTC