By LINDSAY WHITEHURST and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER (Associated Press)
The U.S. saw over 68,000 illegally trafficked firearms come from unlicensed dealers who don’t have to do background checks over a five-year span, as per new data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives released Thursday.
Officials from the Justice Department stated that this accounted for 54% of illegal firearm trafficking in the U.S. between 2017 and 2021. These guns were involved in 368 shooting incidents. ATF Director Steve Dettelbach mentioned that it's harder to investigate these cases because unlicensed dealers don't have to keep sales records that could help trace the weapon back to the original buyer.
Attorney General Merrick Garland ordered the first comprehensive analysis of firearm trafficking investigations in over 20 years. The report looked at over 9,700 closed ATF firearm trafficking investigations initiated between 2017 and 2021. Firearms trafficking occurs when guns are intentionally moved into the illegal market for criminal purposes or possession.
The second-largest portion of ATF-investigated firearm trafficking cases involved straw purchases, where someone buys a gun for a person who can't legally obtain it themselves.
The report also shows that nearly 60% of recipients of trafficked firearms had prior felony convictions in cases where investigators identified the recipient's background. Additionally, trafficked firearms were used in almost 25% of cases to commit further crimes, including over 260 murders and 220 attempted murders, according to the report.
Dettelbach stated, “The data shows, therefore, that those who illegally traffic firearms whether its out of a trunk, at a gun show or online are responsible for real violence in this nation.” He also mentioned, “In short, you can’t illegally help to arm nonviolent people and not be responsible for the violence that follows.”
The report found that the average number of guns trafficked per case was 16. People who obtained them through unlicensed dealers purchased 20 weapons on average, compared to 11 guns for straw buyers.
The Biden administration has separately suggested a regulation that would make thousands more gun sellers obtain licenses and conduct background checks. The Justice Department says this is targeted at sellers involved in firearm sales, but it has faced opposition from gun-rights groups who believe it could affect regular people who occasionally sell their own guns.
The rule, which is still being finalized, is projected to impact 24,500 to 328,000 sellers. Over the five years covered in the report, 3,400 unlicensed dealers were investigated by the ATF.
