Prosecutions for illegal gun possession are up 23 percent under President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

At the same time, the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens are being protected.

According to NRA-ILA, “Charges of unlawful possession of a gun – mostly by convicted felons – are up 23 percent in the second quarter of 2017 from the same time period in 2016.” Moreover, “the number of defendants charged with the crime of using a firearm in a crime of violence or drug trafficking has increased by 10 percent.”

This stands in stark contrast to the way things were done during the Obama administration; a time in which prosecutions against individuals attempting to illegally buy a gun fell by 40 percent while calls for more gun control rose exponentially.

On February 28, 2017, Breitbart News reported that AG Sessions asked the Department of Justice to “increase prosecutions of gun-law violations” so that suspects know they will pay a price for using guns in crime. And just two weeks later he called again for “harsh sentences” for gun crimes as a way to forewarn would-be criminals that they will pay a price if they use a gun in the commission of a crime.

The approach appears to be working.

IRA-ILA executive Chris Cox commented on the increase in prosecutions under Trump and Sessions, saying, “The National Rifle Association applauds President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions for understanding that prosecuting violent criminals and protecting the rights of law-abiding gun owners are not mutually exclusive ideas. ”

He added, “President Trump and Attorney General Sessions are making America safe again.”

AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of Bullets with AWR Hawkins, a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com