Current:Home > FinanceFederal report finds 68,000 guns were illegally trafficked through unlicensed dealers over 5 years-VaTradeCoin
Federal report finds 68,000 guns were illegally trafficked through unlicensed dealers over 5 years
lotradecoin staking View Date:2024-12-25 23:47:39
WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 68,000 illegally trafficked firearms in the U.S. came through unlicensed dealers who aren’t required to perform background checks over a five-year period, according to new data released Thursday by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives.
That represents 54% of the illegally trafficked firearms in the U.S. between 2017 and 2021, Justice Department officials said. The guns were used in 368 shooting cases, which are harder to investigate because unlicensed dealers aren’t required to keep records of their sales that could allow federal agents to trace the weapon back to the original buyer, said ATF Director Steve Dettelbach.
The report ordered by Attorney General Merrick Garland is the first in-depth analysis of firearm trafficking investigations in more than 20 years. It examined more than 9,700 closed ATF firearm trafficking investigations that began between 2017 and 2021. Firearms trafficking is when guns are purposely moved into the illegal market for a criminal purpose or possession.
The second-highest share of firearm-trafficking cases investigated by ATF was straw purchases, when someone buys a gun for a person who can’t get it legally themselves.
The report also shows that the recipients of trafficked firearms were people who had previously been convicted of a felony in almost 60 percent of the cases in which investigators were able to identify the background of the recipient. Furthermore, trafficked firearms were used to commit additional crimes in almost 25 percent of the cases, Dettelbach said. That includes more than 260 murders and more than 220 attempted murders, according to the report.
“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,” Dettelbach said. “In short, you can’t illegally help to arm nonviolent people and not be responsible for the violence that follows,” he said.
The report found the average number of guns trafficked per case was 16. People who got them through unlicensed dealers bought 20 weapons on average, compared to 11 guns for straw buyers, according to the report.
The Biden administration has separately proposed a rule that would require thousands more gun sellers to get licensed and run background checks. The Justice Department says it’s aimed at sellers who are in the business of firearm sales, but the proposal quickly drew protest from gun-rights groups who contend it could ensnare regular people who sometimes sell their own guns.
veryGood! (3)
Related
- Jim Leach, former US representative from Iowa, dies at 82
- Timothée Chalamet Looks Unrecognizable With Hair and Mustache Transformation on Marty Supreme Set
- NHTSA: Cruise to pay $1.5M penalty after failing to fully report crash involving pedestrian
- Wisconsin prisons agree to help hearing-impaired inmates under settlement
- Shanghai bear cub Junjun becomes breakout star
- Exclusive: Disney Store's Holiday Shop Is Here With Magical Gifts for Every Fan, From Pixar to Marvel
- Beyoncé strips down with Levi's for new collab: See the cheeky ad
- A port strike could cost the economy $5 billion per day, here's what it could mean for you
- Biden commutes roughly 1,500 sentences and pardons 39 people in biggest single
- John Deere recalls compact utility tractors, advises owners to stop use immediately
Ranking
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Dropping Hints
- Cardi B Details Getting Another Round of Her Butt Injections Removed
- Arkansas sues YouTube over claims that the site is fueling a mental health crisis
- Trump slams US response to Helene, even as supporters urge cutbacks to federal disaster agencies
- North Carolina announces 5
- MLB Legend Pete Rose Dead at 83
- Kendra Wilkinson Teases Return to Reality TV Nearly 2 Decades After Girls Next Door
- No arrests in South Africa mass shootings as death toll rises to 18
Recommendation
-
Gen Z is 'doom spending' its way through the holidays. What does that mean?
-
Murders, mayhem and officer’s gunfire lead to charges at Brooklyn jail where ‘Diddy’ is held
-
NBA players, coaches, GMs react to Dikembe Mutombo's death: 'He made us who we are.'
-
‘Sing Sing’ actor exonerated of murder after nearly 24 years in prison
-
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Follow Your Dreams
-
Major League Baseball scraps criticized All-Star Game uniforms and goes back to team jerseys
-
Startling video shows Russian fighter jet flying within feet of U.S. F-16 near Alaska
-
Helene wreaks havoc across Southeast | The Excerpt