Cherokee County may want to keep tabs on just how quiet Spartanburg becomes during the "Summer of Silence."

While it's not yet set in stone, a high intensity clampdown on gun crimes under way in Spartanburg County might occur in Cherokee County later this year, possibly beginning this October.

A joint effort between the Seventh Circuit Solicitor's Office and federal authorities from the U.S. Attorneys Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the "Summer of Silence" program aims to reduce violent crime by sending a clear message that criminals possessing or using guns won't be tolerated.

Through the program, Solicitor Trey Gowdy said every arrest involving a weapon in Spartanburg County will be scrutinized to see if any federal gun laws have been broken. Prosecutors will then assess which court system, either the state or federal, would carry the potential for greater jail time.

"There are large categories of people who are not supposed to have guns (under federal law)," Gowdy said.

For instance, federal law forbids possession by felons, drug users and manufacturers, fugitives from justice, illegal aliens and those convicted of domestic violence.

Gowdy said Cherokee County has been included in all of his discussions about the high-intensity program.

"I let them (the federal authorities) know I have two counties and want to do it in two counties," Gowdy said.

He said they've already come up with a name for a Cherokee County program if it moves forward, but didn't want to divulge it yet.

Gowdy is unsure how the success of the Spartanburg County program will be gauged, since it will be impossible to say it prevented a specific armed robbery or other violent crime. At the very least, Gowdy said he hopes the program will make people rethink their actions.

The idea behind the program is to be more proactive in reducing crime and stemming violence.

"We're dong a pretty good job (as prosecutors and police) after a serious crime takes place," Gowdy said.

The Seventh Circuit, which is Spartanburg and Cherokee counties, have sent more people to the state Department of Corrections with life sentences or the death penalty than any other district in the state over the past eight years, Gowdy said.