A two-month operation aimed at reducing violent crime in Birmingham and beyond led to the seizure of 140 guns and federal indictments against 71 people.

Among those indicted is a 24-year-old man who was acquitted in one murder, pleaded guilty to a reduced charge in another and now is awaiting trial in yet a third killing. Others indicted under the operation include a man who was convicted of manslaughter as a teen and arrested last month on two Birmingham bank robberies, a sex offender who also has convictions for burglary and carrying a pistol without a license, and a man awaiting trial for the shooting of a Birmingham police officer. The latter suspect has convictions for felony drug possession and unlawful distribution of heroin. He also has previous arrests for three counts of attempted murder and discharging a gun into an occupied building or vehicle, however those charges were dismissed.

"These are the right people to be going after to make a difference,'' said David Hyche, ATF's assistant special agent in charge in Alabama. "This is by far the most aggressive approach I've ever seen to fighting violent crime in our city."

"The people we're going after are people who have chose as their profession violent crime,'' Hyche said, and their tool for their profession is a gun."

U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Marcus Watson, Acting Birmingham Police Chief Henry Irby III and Jefferson County Sheriff Mike Hale on Monday announced the indictments and seizures following the intense effort in March and April to take violent offenders and guns off the streets.

"While some may argue as to what constitutes effective gun control, there can be no argument that keeping convicted felons from having control over guns isn't an effective crime policy,'' said Lloyd Peeples, first assistant U.S. Attorney for the district. "I also want to make clear that prosecuting these types of cases is not short-term...we are going to make this a continued effort next week, next month, next year."

The U.S. Attorney's Office and ATF joined with local law enforcement in Birmingham, Jefferson County and across north Alabama in an intense effort in March and April to charge violent offenders and take guns off the streets.

"The Department of Justice has reserved space in federal prison for gang members, trigger-pullers, violent offenders, and felons with guns ... and we plan on filling it,'' Town said. "We must shift our prosecutorial philosophy more towards Capone rather than Soprano, not conflating the level of crime with the level of criminal."

The premise of the operation is simple: find those who are committing gun crimes throughout Birmingham, Jefferson County and the entire northern district and get them off the streets and in prison for the longest amount of time the law allows. One of the ways to do that, authorities say, is by indicting them federally for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm or for using a firearm during a drug transaction.

Town said the mission was to be hyper-focused on illegal firearms charges. "We asked them to bring us their worst cases, bring us your trigger pullers,'' he said. "They went and gathered up those cases...ran them through the grand jury and 71 were indicted and will stand trial. This is a big moment."

There have been roughly 800 to 1,000 prior arrests among the 71 indicted. There's an average of three prior felony convictions among the defendants. Some had more, and some had less. "Think about the hours that these sheriff's deputies and police officers and agents spent with 800-plus arrests and think about the revolving door - they're out committing violent crimes,'' Hyche said.

It's no secret that state prisons are overcrowded and convicts who should be in prison sometimes go free or serve only a fraction of their sentence. On the federal level, however, inmates typically serve a minimum of 85 percent of their sentence.

"If we want to get the worst offenders off the street, you're going to have to put them in federal prison,'' Town said. "The states can't contain them for charges like this."

Hyche agreed.

"I can't stand up here and tell you what the Birmingham and Jefferson County crime rate is going to be tomorrow, but I can tell you that when people are convicted here in the northern district, they're sentenced to time with no possibility of parole. The people we put in prison aren't out there committing crime while they're in prison."

Cases involving about 24 of the 71 defendants are based in Jefferson County, but the remaining cases range across north Alabama and include five Talladega defendants indicted in March on drug distribution and firearms charges. Law enforcement seized at least 15 firearms in the Talladega case.

The majority of the 71 defendants facing current gun charges have at least one prior felony conviction. The total number of prior convictions tops 160. There are at least 40 additional arrests among the defendants for violent offenses, including charges such as domestic violence, assault and attempted murder, and at least 13 of the 71 defendants are suspected of having a gang affiliation.

Law enforcement seized one firearm from the majority of the defendants charged during the operation in March and April, but five or more guns were seized from at least eight defendants. Among the 140 firearms seized, at least 30 were identified as stolen, according to ATF.

These cases are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the department's renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney's Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.

Among those indicted is Jimbroski Quantez Peterson, 25, who was indicted earlier this year in the 2017 shooting death at a Birmingham nightclub. Peterson is charged with murder in the Oct. 15 slaying of Maurice Morris at Onyx Lounge. He has previously been acquitted in one murder and pleaded guilty to a reduced charge in another murder.

Also indicted is Montrell Towns, 24, who is one of three men charged in the December shooting of a Birmingham police officer on Princeton Avenue. Towns, a rapper, was found hiding under a vehicle. The wounded officer is part of the department's Neighborhood Enforcement Team (N.E.T.), a task force implemented four years ago to help control crime in the city's neighborhoods. He took a bullet to the arm and then got on the police radio to call for help, saying "I've been hit."

Yet another defendant is Benjamin Madison, 37, who in April was arrested on first-degree robbery charges for downtown armed holdups at Synovus Bank and Servis First Bank. He was convicted in the July 7, 1997 shooting death of 14-year-old Sherita Scott, who was outside a friend's home and leaning against a car when gunfire erupted. A bullet struck the girl in the head.

"The Birmingham Police Department continues to pursue ways to help improve the quality of life for our citizens," Irby said. "The Gun Round Up will have a huge impact on the City of Birmingham as it relates to violent crime. Violent crime is an epidemic that has no barriers. Our citizens deserve law enforcement's combined efforts to ensure that they are safe and secure as they go about their daily lives," he said. "Our children, in particular, are our future. They deserve a chance to grow into productive citizens and do incredible things."

"This is only the beginning of what I believe will put an end to the gun violence we are seeing day in and day out," Hale said. "Our partnership and commitment with all participating agencies has never been stronger. Our resolve has never been stronger. That's good news for the law-abiding citizens who deserve a quality of life that doesn't include fear of harm at the hand of these violent thugs," he said. "We will be here as long as it takes. That's a promise."

Here is a list of those indicted: Spring 2018 Gun Roundup Defendants. Indictments unsealed as of May 5, 2018:

James Vantrez Pointer, 28, Talladega, felon in possession of a firearm, possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

Kevin Ray Gooden, 41, Talladega felon in possession of a firearm.

Frank Gooden Jr., 26, Talladega, possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

Gregory Archie Green, 36, Talladega, felon in possession of a firearm.

Marcus Elijah Millender, 26, Talladega, felon in possession of a firearm.

Michael Means, 61, Birmingham, felon in possession of a firearm.

Montrell Towns, 24, Birmingham, carrying a firearm during a drug-trafficking crime.

Randel Smoot, 25, Birmingham, felon in possession of a firearm (two counts), aiding and abetting in the straw purchase of a firearm.

Amber Frazier, 23, Center Point; straw purchase of a firearm.

Jimbroski Peterson, 27, Birmingham, felon in possession of a firearm.

Francisco Colorado-Cruz, 37, Trafford, illegal alien in possession of a firearm.

Joshua Michael Roden, 32, Vinemont, felon in possession of a firearm.

Christopher Nash, 36, Cleveland, Ala., carrying a firearm in relation to a drug-trafficking crime, felon in possession of a firearm.

Teaundra Pollnitz, 25, Irondale, felon in possession of a firearm.

Tyrese Vault, 24, Birmingham, felon in possession of a firearm.

Jerry Michael Rogers, 33, Sulligent, felon in possession of a firearm.

Raymond Lamont Cochran, 37, Jasper, felon in possession of a firearm.

Jacario Montez Kelly, 29, Goodwater, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking offense, felon in possession of a firearm.

Dustin Thomas McCombs, 27, Birmingham, felon in possession of a firearm.

Patrick Earl Trotman, 34, Huntsville, felon in possession of a firearm.

Dwight Orr, 25, Birmingham, felon in possession of ammunition.

David Matthew Pugh, 48, Lauderdale County, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, felon in possession of a firearm.

Douglas Andrew Greenhaw, 54, Morgan County, felon in possession of a firearm.

Joey Caffery, 39, Hazel Green, possession of an unregistered firearm silencer; felon in possession of a firearm.

Willverto Foster, 38, Huntsville, felon in possession of a firearm.

Corey Dewayne Morrow, 45, Albertville, felon in possession of a firearm.

Juri Jevone Love, 36, Huntsville, felon in possession of a firearm.

Martin Pena, 38, Jackson County, felon in possession of a firearm.

Pedro Pascal Andres, 50, Boaz, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

Filiberto Gomez-Flores, 42, Mexican citizen living in Horton, illegal alien in possession of a firearm, felon in possession of a firearm.

Brian Dale Lane, 57, Albertville, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking offense.

Demetria Scott, 25, Center Point, felon in possession of a firearm (two counts).

Benjamin Madison, 37, Birmingham, armed bank robbery, brandishing a firearm during crime of violence (two counts), attempted armed bank robbery, felon in possession.

Nicholas Jerisaac Lynch, 23, Tuscaloosa, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

Tory Dewayne McLemore, 29, Sylacauga, felon in possession of a firearm.

David Armand Palmer, 20, Birmingham, felon in possession of a firearm.

Christopher Artislee Taylor, 24, Anniston, felon in possession of a firearm.

Matthew Edward Childers, 19, Cullman, felon in possession of a firearm.

Dennis Dell Long, 59, Northport, felon in possession of a firearm.

Stanley Keon Walker Jr., 23, Tuscaloosa, felon in possession of a firearm.

Adarius Montrells Sims, 30, Birmingham, felon in possession.

Ronald Deray Ross, 29, Bessemer, felon in possession.

Carlos Alberto Juarez-Mendez, 24, Birmingham, illegal re-entry, felon in possession of a firearm, illegal alien in possession of a firearm.

Charles Spears, 29, Danville, possession of an unregistered firearm silencer; production of a firearm silencer; possession of a firearm by a drug user/addict.