home town. In 1997, the program was implemented in conjunction with an extensive public outreach and media campaign to educate citizens about lengthy federal prison sentences for gun crimes and to maximize deterrence. The message "An Illegal Gun Gets You Five Years in Federal Prison" was placed on 15 billboards, a fully painted city bus carried the message changing routes every day, TV commercials, Metro Richmond traffic reports, over a million supermarket bags were also used to advertise Project Exile. Rochester, New York, became the second city to implement the plan in 1998 under the leadership of Mayor Bill Johnson. In 2001, after the launch of a similar state program named Virginia Exile, Project Exile evolved from a federal-only program to a larger cooperative effort with state and local authorities meeting bimonthly to review ongoing arrests to determine in which venue to bring the case so as to ensure the maximum possible penalty. President George W. Bush made the program a part of his Project Safe Neighborhoods crime-prevention plan, which included increased funding for U.S. attorneys to prosecute gun crime. Politics In Congress, Project Exile had both supporters (such as Representative Bill McCollum of Florida, Sue Myrick of North Carolina, and Bob Ehrlich of Maryland) and opponents (such as Representatives Bobby Scott of Virginia and Maxine Waters of California). Support The National Rifle Association (NRA) and the Brady Campaign were both early and vocal supporters of Project Exile. The NRA lobbied the U.S. Congress to help secure $2.3 million for emulation of Exile in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Camden County, New Jersey, where similar firearms-related violence has plagued the communities. The NRA has remained a strong supporter of the program as its focus is on severely punishing all gun crimes especially illegal possession rather than by making gun purchases more difficult. NRA executive vice president Wayne LaPierre stated "By prosecuting them they prevent the drug dealer, the gang member and the felon from committing the next crime... Leave the good people alone and lock up the bad people and dramatically cut crime." Opposition Project Exile was opposed by some gun-rights groups and some black leaders, the latter saying that it disproportionately affected African Americans. Families Against Mandatory Minimums also opposed the project. A "Project Exile Condemnation Petition" was launched by Brian Puckett of GunTruths.com, Larry Pratt of Gun Owners of America, Angel Shamaya of KeepAndBearArms.com, and former NRA director Russ Howard.