13 June 2001

Tracing Illegal Small Arms: An ATF Program

By Jacqueline K. Holmes
Program Manager,
Firearms Programs Division,
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms,
U.S. Department of the Treasury

As illegal trafficking in small arms increases, both nationally and internationally, countries throughout the world are utilizing the services of a U.S. government program, the only one of its kind, that traces the history of recovered crime guns sourced from the United States.

The National Tracing Center (NTC) is part of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), which has as one of its missions the responsibility to provide information to law enforcement on firearms used in criminal activity. ATF developed its International Traffic in Arms Program to combat the illegal movement of U.S.-sourced firearms in international traffic and reduce the number of weapons that are illegally trafficked worldwide from the United States. These firearms are many times used to commit acts of international terrorism, to subvert restrictions imposed by other nations on their residents, and to further organized crime and narcotics-related activities. The NTC provides an important first step by handling gun trace information, which can result in investigative leads. Through its regulatory and enforcement authorities derived from the Gun Control Act, ATF seeks to neutralize the illicit movement of firearms and to deny their access to international narcotics dealers, terrorists, and criminals.

ATF's National Tracing Center traces the history of recovered crime guns for federal, state, local, and international enforcement agencies. Application of this tracing history is indispensable for law enforcement when researching the nexus or movement of U.S.-source firearms. The NTC stores information concerning the multiple sale of firearms, suspect guns, stolen firearms, and firearms with obliterated or partial serial numbers; and it is the only repository for all records of Federal firearms licensees who have discontinued business. Foreign agencies, like their U.S. law enforcement counterparts, use this information to determine criminal violations, recognize patterns and trends, prove ownership, and identify source areas.

During 2000 and to date in 2001, the National Tracing Center processed more than 200,000 firearm trace requests including more than 19,000 from foreign countries. Of the requests where U.S. origin was determined, close to 8,000 of these were successfully traced to the retail level. The top international requestors were Colombia, Mexico, Canada, Germany, Jamaica, Japan, and Brazil.

The firearms trace process is initiated upon receipt of a trace request form. International trace requests are currently received directly from foreign law enforcement agencies via telephone, fax or through electronic transmission from the offices of ATF Country Attach��, currently located in Colombia, Mexico, and Canada. Firearms information is reviewed for technical accuracy and coded for data entry into the Firearms Tracing System database. Based on particular information received from the firearms manufacturer, the wholesaler and retailer are then contacted to determine the identity of the individual purchaser of the firearm. This information is forwarded to the trace requestor in the form of a Firearms Trace Summary. A routine trace request is usually processed in 11 days whereas urgent trace requests (based on crimes that involve murder, kidnapping, terrorist acts, etc., or the apprehension or holding of a suspect) are completed within 24 hours.

The NTC approach is equally proactive when a firearm is recovered in a foreign country and traced to a U.S. citizen. A referral is forwarded to the appropriate ATF field division as a possible investigative lead to further assist the foreign law enforcement requestor.

The NTC has developed various programs designed to provide proactive assistance to the investigator with firearms tracing. For instance, one category of firearm on which NTC has focused is the "suspect gun" that has not yet been recovered by law enforcement but is believed to have been trafficked or involved in criminal activity. Conditions that may cause firearms to be suspect include connections with Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) or interstate thefts, the purchase of large quantities of firearms by a single individual, or dealers with improperly kept records. The NTC enters firearm information into the "Suspect Gun" database at the request of an ATF office. These guns are not traced but are queried against all trace requests initiated by the NTC for possible matches.

Of particular interest is Access 2000, a computerized link between the NTC and firearms manufacturers and wholesalers. This nexus allows NTC instant access to the computerized records in order to complete traces more efficiently. ATF is continuing this working partnership with the firearms industry in order to facilitate the tracing of crime guns by use of a standardized automated system. Instant access allows NTC employees to query the disposition of an individual serial number, thus speeding up the trace process and reducing the trace-related cost to industry. Of course, 24-hour access allows NTC employees to query the history of firearms as necessary for urgent trace requests.

The Crime Gun Analysis Branch (CGAB) of the National Tracing Center works closely with the Tracing Branch by analyzing the data from crime gun traces, multiple sales, and firearm thefts. Analysis of firearms traces identifies crime gun patterns that may not be apparent from information in a single trace. Collaboration with respect to sharing of international firearm trace information will help identify firearms trafficking trends and patterns -- in particular, international patterns -- that can help law enforcement agencies target enforcement action to help reduce international firearms trafficking and violent gun crime.

The CGAB provides support to law enforcement agencies by conducting analyses of firearms recovered and submitted in a particular geographic location in order to identify most commonly recovered firearms, crimes associated with the firearms, possessor information, source locations (States or individual dealers where the firearm was sold), and to determine the "time-to-crime" (the time from which the firearm was sold to an individual to the time that it was recovered by law enforcement). These analyses identify sources of crime gun problems and provide investigative leads on individuals who may be involved in international firearms trafficking. The types of detailed crime gun analyses depicted rely upon comprehensive tracing of recovered firearms and are most effective when complete information about the firearm, possessor, and recovery is supplied. ATF analytical support has been provided to many agencies and has been proven effective in putting international firearm traffickers behind bars, thereby helping to reduce gun crime and violence.

Through its International Programs Branch, ATF also educates law enforcement and other officials in foreign countries about its firearms tracing and investigative capabilities and participates in multinational working groups to stem the flow of international firearms trafficking.

The Bureau also hosts an International Firearm Serial Number Restoration class. Participants are provided with a serial number restoration kit and are taught the fundamentals of restoration. Another activity is the classroom instruction for international forensic experts given by personnel from the ATF Forensic Sciences Laboratory. This instruction program includes a class in the tracing of crime guns with obliterated serial numbers.

ATF's commitment to support law enforcement continues to expand and has become a global effort. ATF recognizes that its jurisdiction is limited in many of these cases; however, bolstering foreign law enforcement is a continuing enterprise for ATF. The Bureau's ability to trace firearms for foreign law enforcement is just another means by which ATF can work with the worldwide law enforcement community. In this capacity, ATF aids its foreign counterparts in developing investigative leads to help combat the illegal movement of firearms in international traffic and to prevent illicitly-trafficked firearms from being used in criminal acts of violence.