This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Following President Trump's February Executive Order to federal prosecutors, asking them to focus on reducing crime, prosecutors in Utah are filing more charges against people for unlawful possession of a firearm than they have in years past.

In the first six months of 2017, 96 cases were filed — a number that has more than doubled when compared to the same time period in 2014 and has increased by nearly 30 percent compared to last year. In 2016, prosecutors did not reach 96 filings until September, according to a news release from federal prosecutors in Utah.

Utah's U.S. Attorney John Huber said the state has "aggressively" followed directives from Attorney General Jeff Sessions to "fight back against a surge in violent crime" by prioritizing firearm prosecution.

"We will not give ground to gun-toting offenders who violate federal law," Huber said in the Friday release. "Every person in Utah deserves a safe neighborhood, and with our strong law enforcement partners we will continue to seek out and deliver justice to those who expose us to increased violence."

He warned that gun crimes in the state "will lead to hard time in a federal prison."

As an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Huber spent time as the lead attorney on the Project Safe Neighborhoods gun initiative, targeting those involved in gun violence.

Sessions said in a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice that following Trump's order to focus on reducing crime, he sent a March memo that "directed federal prosecutors to prioritize taking illegal guns off of our streets, and as a result, we are now prosecuting hundreds more firearms defendants."

Following the memo, the number of court filings nationwide for unlawful possession of a firearm has increased by almost 23 percent over a three-month period when compared to the same time period in 2016, Sessions said in the news release.

He added that the increase in prosecution "sends a clear message to criminals all over this country that if you carry a gun illegally, you will be held accountable."

Twitter: @mnoblenews