US to Prosecute Juveniles With Firearm Offenses Same as Adults

"We need juveniles in our state to understand that carrying a gun has real consequences," said the attorney general of Delaware, commenting on the decision by the US Department of Justice to prosecute minors with firearm offenses same as adults.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The US Department of Justice will prosecute minors with serious or multiple firearm offenses as adults, attorney general of US Delaware state Matt Denn said Friday.

"We need juveniles in our state to understand that carrying a gun has real consequences," Denn was quoted as saying by the WBOC 16 TV channel.

A delinquency charge will stay in the juvenile offender's record when he becomes an adult, turning 18, he added. The further initiatives will include not releasing dangerous juveniles back to the society immediately after the arrest.

"Prosecuting a juvenile as an adult is a difficult decision and one that we don't make lightly, but these gun crimes have created an intolerable condition on our streets," the attorney general noted.

Gun violence has become more frequent in US schools with minors threatening and using weapons.

In one of the most recent accidents, in October 2014, Jaylen Ray Fryberg, a freshman at Marysville-Pilchuck High School near Seattle, opened fire in the cafeteria, killing two students and injuring three others before turning the gun on himself.