New York creates 'gun courts' in hopes of reducing gun violence

New York City will establish special courts for gun possession cases and create a police unit dedicated to gun-related investigations as part of an effort to cut gun crime.

Project Fast Track, unveiled at a City Hall press conference Tuesday, is an attempt to ensure gun cases are prosecuted quickly and efficiently at all levels of the criminal justice system.  This comes just a week after President Barack Obama said he would take several executive actions aimed at reducing gun violence nationwide.  Under New York's initiative, people charged with illegally possessing firearms in Brooklyn, which has the highest rate of such cases among the city's five boroughs, would be processed through two "gun courts" starting this week.  If successful, similar courts could be set up throughout the city, including Manhattan, officials said.  The gun courts recall a similar effort in 2003, when a court was established dedicated to gun cases in Brooklyn.