WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 68,000 firearms that were trafficked in the United States between 2017 and 2021 were sold by unlicensed establishments that are not required to conduct background checks, according to data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. Fire and Explosives (ATF) announced Thursday.
The figure represents 54% of the firearms that were trafficked in that period, Justice Department officials said. The guns were used in 368 shooting cases, which are more difficult to investigate because unauthorized sellers are not required to keep records of their sales that could allow federal authorities to trace the gun back to its original buyer, the court said. ATF Director Steve Dettelbach.
The report, which was prepared at the direction of Attorney General Merrick Garland, offers the first in-depth analysis of gun trafficking investigations in more than 20 years. The study analyzed more than 9,700 closed ATF gun trafficking cases from 2017 to 2021. Trafficking is defined as the deliberate movement of firearms to the illegal market for criminal purposes.
The second largest proportion of firearms trafficking cases the ATF investigated were people who purchased guns for someone who cannot obtain them legally.
The report also shows that in almost 60% of the cases in which investigators were able to identify the background of the possessor of trafficked weapons, these were people who had previously been convicted of a serious crime. In addition, the trafficked weapons were used to commit other crimes in almost 25% of the cases, Dettelbach clarified. That includes more than 260 homicides and more than 220 attempted homicides, according to the report.
Therefore, the data shows that those who traffic firearms, whether from the trunk of their car, at a gun show or online, are responsible for real acts of violence in this country,” Dettelbach stated. “In short, you cannot illegally help arm nonviolent people without being responsible for the subsequent violence.”
The report revealed that the average number of guns trafficked per case was 16. People who purchased them from unlicensed sellers purchased an average of 20 guns, compared to 11 guns purchased by front men, according to the report.
The federal government has proposed a separate rule that would require thousands more sellers to obtain permits and conduct background checks. The Justice Department said it is aimed at sellers who are in business, but the proposal soon came under fire from gun rights groups, who argue it could harm ordinary people who Sometimes they sell their own weapons.
