ATF Releases U.S. Firearms Trace Data for 2012

Firearms Trace Data 2012 New York Sample
Firearms Trace Data 2012 New York Sample
ATF
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

WASHINGTON – -(Ammoland.com)-  The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) today released firearms trace data for all individual states and territories for calendar year 2012.

The 2012 report includes first time released demographics data which includes a state–by–state breakdown of crime guns recovered and traced, age ranges of firearm possessor at the time of recovery, the type and caliber of firearms, and the criminal offense associated with the crime gun.

Firearms tracing provides information on the movement of a firearm from its first sale by a manufacturer or importer through the distribution chain in an attempt to identify the first retail purchaser. A firearms trace is typically conducted when a law enforcement agency recovers a firearm at a crime scene and needs to know the origin of that firearm in order to develop investigative leads. Trace information can link a suspect to a firearm in a criminal investigation, identify potential traffickers, and detect in–state, interstate and international patterns in the sources and types of crime guns.

ATF’s National Tracing Center (NTC) is the nation’s only crime gun tracing facility. The NTC provides critical information that assists domestic and international law enforcement agencies solve firearms crimes, detect firearms trafficking and identify trends with respect to intrastate, interstate and international movement of crime guns. The NTC traced more than 344,000 crime guns in calendar year 2012.

ATF is dedicated to reducing firearms trafficking and firearms–related violent crime.

For more information or to view the 2012 firearms trace data, please see our web site at Firearms Trace Data – 2012. https://www.atf.gov/statistics/trace-data/2012-trace-data.html

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Becker

There are no machine guns on the streets. This is an ATF lie, it it’s self. How can some dept. conduct a study like this if they don’t even know the difference between semi- and machine gun? They don’t know anything about guns, themselves.
Also, many of my comments disappear into thin air after I hit submit. Is anyone else having this problem? Seems that the government is spying on this site, too.

JES, Stafford, VA

I love the way BATFE conflates AR-15s with machine guns. Even then, the number is ridiculously low. This is what all the anti-gun noise is directed at, so-called “assault weapons”. Would seem from ATF’s own statistics they are not the problem they are made out to be.

Buck

Furthermore , the BATF&E is dedicated to prosecuting users of legal products , to wit , alcohol , tobacco , and firearms . The explosions designation was recently added when this was all pointed out . They are an agency under the INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE and are just one more reason to ABOLISH the IRS .

Buck

I resent , in this graph , a picture if an M-16 which can be construed as an AR-15 . A–holes NEVER give up trying to demonize semi-autos .

WellDuh

Big surprise that criminals have guns. It doesn’t say how many were stolen, registered (yeah right), actually used in the commission of a crime, or were simply a possession charge as in a felon arrested on something else and having possession of a weapon. Notice no category for “assault weapons”? Guess they really aren’t a problem, are they?

spaceshot 1

I wonder how long it will take for the liberals to broadcast a host of screwed up lies about this release of info. blaming an inanimate object for all of the New York crime.

Jim Stone

The statistics are a bit confusing. It appears that the most traces and recoveries are for possession of a firearm not a crime except having a gun. Since restrictive laws were passed this was not surprising. The anti-gun lobby will skew this every which way.