The Youth Crime Gun

Interdiction Initiative

For the

Senate and House Committees on Appropriations

Pursuant to Conference Report 105-825

October 1998

Performance

Report

Department of the Treasury 

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms

February 1999
ATF Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative

27 Communities

Seattle, WA

Salinas, CA

Tucson, AZ

San Antonio, TX

Houston, TX

Memphis, TN

St. Louis, MO

Birmingham, AL

Minneapolis, MN

Milwaukee, WI

Gary, IN

Chicago, IL Cleveland, OH

Cincinnati, OH

Richmond, VA

Atlanta, GA

Miami, FL

Washington, DC

Baltimore, MD

Jersey City, NJ New York, 

Bridgeport, CT

Boston, MA

Philadelphia, PA

Detroit, MI

Los Angeles, CA

Inglewood, CA
James E. Johnson John W. Magaw, Director

Under Secretary (Enforcement) Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms

Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative

Performance Report

February 1999

This is a report on the performance of the Youth Crime Interdiction Initiative (YCGII), as requested by the Senate and House Committees on Appropriations (Performance Report).1

 The

YCGII, part of ATF’s national illegal firearms trafficking program, is developing information

about how juveniles and criminals illegally obtain crime guns, and using that information to

support Federal, State, and local law enforcement efforts to reduce illegal access to firearms.

Congress appropriated $27 million for YCGII for Fiscal Year 1999 to support comprehensive

crime gun tracing ($11 million), and to add 162 ATF special agents to strengthen enforcement of

the firearms laws ($16 million). We are pleased to report substantial accomplishments with

respect to both tracing and investigative activity.

A cornerstone of YCGII is support for comprehensive crime gun tracing by law enforcement

agencies. Firearms tracing serves three critical law enforcement purposes. Individual traces can

allow law enforcement to solve individual crimes by confirming a link between the accused and

the firearm. Comprehensive tracing maximizes the investigative leads derived from tracing about

the illegal sources of firearms used in crime. Analysis of comprehensive trace information provides law enforcement with needed strategic information about local, regional, and national

patterns of illegal gun trafficking. A separate publication, the 1999 YCGII Crime Gun Trace Analysis Reports: 27 Communities (Trace Reports), presents analyses of crime gun traces from the 27

communities that participated in YCGII during Fiscal Year 1998.

ATF’s greatest strength is its human resources. This Performance Report provides a summary of

actions taken to hire special agents as directed by Congress; a report of ATF case activity involving

youth and juveniles in the 27 cities; and a review of over 640 illegal trafficking investigations

involving juveniles and youth nationwide that shows the types of illegal trafficking activity being

uncovered. ATF’s investigations demonstrate that there is illegal trafficking in new, used, and

stolen firearms involving juveniles and youth, and that law enforcement officials are identifying

and arresting illegal traffickers using crime gun trace analysis and other means.

The YCGII Trace Reports and this Performance Report show fulfillment of Congress’ intent to

strengthen ATF’s efforts to identify and arrest criminals involved in illegal gun trafficking to juveniles

and youth. Youth violence is declining nationally, but is still historically high. By continuing to investigate and reduce the illegal sources of firearms, we can further reduce youth violence.

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Washington, DC

1 The Statement of Managers accompanying the 1998 Conference Report stated that:

the conferees believe that the proposed increase in funding must be supported

by evidence of a significant reduction in youth crime, gun trafficking and

availability. The conferees would like to see additional evidence linking the

Youth Crime Interdiction Initiative (YCGII) to a corresponding decrease in gun

trafficking among youths and minors. Therefore, the conferees direct ATF to

report no later than February 1, 1999 on the performance of YCGII.

Conference Report to Accompany H.R. 4328, October 19, 1998.
Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative (YCGII)

Performance Report

February 1999

I. ATF Activity Report ........................................................................................................................ 1

II. ATF Review of Illegal Firearms Trafficking Investigations Involving Juveniles and Youth ...... 5

III. Additional Information on the Illegal Firearms Market ............................................................. 8

Appendix: Survey Of Illegal Trafficking Investigations.................................................................... 10

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Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms • Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative
February 1999 1

Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms • Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative

ATF Activity Report

Through the Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative (YCGII), Congress is providing resources for

crime gun tracing and for investigative resources to attack the illegal gun market supplying juveniles and criminals. These resources are supporting Federal, State, and local activities. With

funding already provided, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) has assisted law

enforcement agencies in 27 cities in instituting comprehensive crime gun tracing; has provided

city-specific trace analysis reports for those cities, reporting on over 76,000 trace requests in the

reports being published in 1999; has initiated over 640 juvenile and/or youth-related illegal trafficking investigations nationwide involving almost 27,000 illegally trafficked firearms since YGCII

began in July 1996, including 350 investigations in the 27 YCGII cities since the beginning of

Fiscal Year 1998; is hiring 162 additional agents as directed by Congress to follow up on illegal

trafficking leads; and has supported the development of State and local law enforcement agency

anti-gun trafficking capability.

Crime gun tracing. YCGII began in July 1996. Until Fiscal Year 1999, start-up funds to support

the program came primarily from the Treasury Asset Forfeiture Fund (TAFF), which are not

available for funding full time permanent employees. Therefore, the first two years of funding,

approximately $12 million from the TAFF, and $1.25 million appropriated by Congress in Fiscal

Year 1998, have been used to build a foundation of city-based comprehensive crime gun tracing.

Through YCGII, ATF has supported 27 cities in developing systems that allow them to trace all

recovered crime guns. ATF has also improved its own systems for receiving, responding to, and

analyzing the city trace information. The National Tracing Center (NTC) enters investigative

trace information into Project LEAD, a crime gun information system, which is supplied to ATF

offices for law enforcement use locally. City-specific crime gun analysis, as opposed to the law

enforcement sensitive information entered into Project LEAD, is published for Federal, State, and

local use in the annual YCGII Trace Reports. An important development has been the provision of

trace information by age group. Both Project LEAD and the Trace Reports now report trace information by age group in order to assess and target enforcement activity more effectively. ATF

received a total of over 190,000 trace requests from around the country in 1997 and 1998 respectively. Through YCGII, ATF provided crime gun trace analysis on 37,000 trace requests from 17

cities in the 1997 Trace Reports, and is providing analysis on over 76,000 trace requests from 27

cities in the 1999 Trace Reports (covering 1998 activity). Further, detailed information about

crime gun tracing is included in the Trace Reports, which will be published this month.

New ATF special agents. In Fiscal Year 1999, Congress appropriated funding for 81 FTE to

support 162 special agent positions annually in connection with the YCGII. ATF is in the process

of hiring new agents, in this, the first year where positions have been earmarked. ATF expects the

new agent positions to be filled by the end of the Fiscal Year. Congress stipulated that experienced special agents be assigned to support the YCGII in the cities designated, and to date, approximately 50 special agents have been so assigned. To make the best decisions about agent

designation, ATF’s field divisions are currently in the process of assessing not only the crime gun

activity in each division, but also how other YCGII cities are affected by trafficking from within

their region. This assessment is supported by the information acquired from comprehensive crime

gun tracing by participating police departments, as well as ATF trace analysis that sorts the trace

information geographically. Assignment of the Congressionally designated resources is expected to be

completed in the third quarter of the Fiscal Year.

ATF investigative activity. One purpose of YCGII is to assist ATF in addressing the increase in

juvenile and youth homicides that occurred between the mid-eighties and mid-nineties. YCGII

investigations therefore include any investigation involving a juvenile (ages 17 and under) or a

youth (ages 18 to 24). ATF makes every effort to ensure that investigative resources and activities

provide the greatest possible return on dollars invested. YCGII was designed to use trace infor-
2 February 1999

Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative • Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms

mation to help realize the maximum potential of these resources. The trace results and information about trafficking patterns generated by the tracing component of YCGII are paying significant dividends in allowing ATF to more effectively identify and investigate firearms traffickers

throughout the country. To establish a baseline for evaluation of ongoing investigative activity,

ATF recently conducted a survey of all its divisions to determine the nationwide level of investigative activity involving illegal gun trafficking, and in particular illegal gun trafficking involving

juveniles and youth. ATF field divisions nationwide reported over 1,600 illegal trafficking investigations. Of these, 648 (40.4 percent) involved juveniles and/or youth; 209 (13 percent) involved

juveniles, and 625 (38.9 percent) involved youth. These figures are consistent with crime gun

trace information to be provided in the YCGII Trace Reports, which shows that of the crime guns

recovered by law enforcement agencies in the 27 participating cities, approximately 11.3 percent

were recovered from juveniles, and 32.4 percent from youth. The survey indicates that over 37

percent of illegal trafficking investigations were initiated through the analysis of firearms trace

and multiple sales records. The next section of this Performance Report contains detailed information from the ATF survey of illegal trafficking investigations. Although YCGII did not receive

funding for additional agent resources until the current Fiscal Year, ATF achieved the following in

YCGII cities using available agent resources and working together with State and local agencies:

• ATF initiated 301 YCGII investigations in FY 1998.

• The number of investigations increased every quarter, as follows: 1st: 47; 2nd: 74; 3rd: 87,

4th: 93.

• ATF recommended 151 YCGII cases including 276 defendants for Federal prosecution,

• ATF recommended 19 cases including 36 defendants for State prosecution.

• These 301 investigations involved 3,347 illegally trafficked firearms.

• In the first quarter of Fiscal Year 1999, ATF initiated 91 YCGII investigations.

• ATF recommended 57 cases including 77 defendants for Federal prosecution.

• ATF recommended 5 cases including 8 defendants for State prosecution.

• These 91 investigations involved 855 illegally trafficked firearms.

State and local investigative activity. A primary function of YCGII is to supply crime gun

information to State and local law enforcement agencies, to support local enforcement activity,

and to strengthen collaborative enforcement efforts. Although ATF has not collected information

on State and local investigative activity undertaken outside joint task forces, ATF field offices

report that State and local law enforcement agencies are increasingly focused on the illegal gun

supply, and are using crime gun tracing information to support investigations and prosecutions

under State and local laws. These agencies often supplement ATF crime gun trace data and other

shared investigative information with ballistics data and State and local firearms investigative

leads. These local units may be linked with ATF formally, through joint task forces, through

informal communications, or even simply through the use of trace information. They may be

combined with gang or drug units, or organized as a separate gun unit. Examples of local law

enforcement agency gun units are the Los Angeles Police Department’s Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Detail, and units in the Baltimore, Richmond, and Chicago police departments. The YCGII

Trace Reports lists a number of locally based local youth violence and gun enforcement initiatives.

The value of YCGII was recognized by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, which

adopted a resolution recommending tracing and trafficking strategies to its members. This will

encourage more police departments to work with ATF in using trace information to understand

the illegal gun market and to identify and arrest illegal gun traffickers.

Further indication of increasing law enforcement focus on the illegal firearms supply comes from

developments at the State level. Since YCGII began in 1996, two states, Connecticut and California, have enacted State-wide crime gun tracing laws, and Maryland has established a State-wide

gun enforcement initiative working closely with ATF. These States join New Jersey, where
February 1999 3

Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms • Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative

through an agreement sponsored by the U.S. Attorney, local jurisdictions are cooperating in Statewide tracing through a gun tracing and enforcement program called Project LISA.

Using the resources: some highlights. The following are a few examples of successful trafficking investigations focused on interdicting youth crime guns. There are dozens of other similar

cases being worked and brought to successful conclusion which are in various stages of investigation and adjudication.

Cleveland, Ohio: Interstate trafficking, corrupt FFL. ATF traced three firearms recovered in

New Jersey to an FFL operating in the Cleveland, Ohio area. Two of the firearms had been used in

homicides; one of the possessors was a youth. Upon investigation, ATF determined that the FFL

had received at least 50 firearms from wholesalers of which only 11 were accounted for in his

records. The FFL had recently gone out of business and failed to submit his records to ATF for use

in crime gun tracing. Several of the firearms shipped to the trafficker ended up in the hands of

youth and were recovered by police. None of the recovered firearms were found in possession of

the first purchaser of record and some were the unrecorded firearms. The FFL stated that he had

sold between 20 and 30 firearms “off paper”, delivering the guns without performing Brady checks

or the required purchase forms. The FFL pleaded guilty to a felony firearms violation, was sentenced to a short prison term to be followed by two years of supervised release, and was fined.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Instrastate trafficker; guns for drugs. ATF traced a Lorcin .380

caliber semiautomatic pistol recovered from a 17 year old member of the Latin Kings gang to

a gun shop in northern Wisconsin, nearly 200 miles from Milwaukee, and through Project

LEAD learned that Milwaukee police had recovered another Lorcin handgun from the same

neighborhood as the first Lorcin, purchased from the same gun shop. A retired security police

officer for the U.S. Army was identified as the first purchaser in both instances. Around the

same time, an individual facing drug charges provided information concerning an ex-police

officer who traded guns in exchange for marijuana. ATF agents used the information to set up

a sting in which the retired security police officer exchanged four handguns for 1.5 pounds of

marijuana. The defendant was sentenced in a Federal court to five years imprisonment.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Straw purchase for and trafficking by a felon. A straw

purchaser and a trafficker conspired to purchase over 50 semiautomatic rifles, boxes of highpowered ammunition, and accessories such as one hundred round drum magazines, highpowered scopes and laser sights. Seven rifles were recovered, some in connection with drug

activity. One rifle was linked via ballistics tests to homicides. ATF traced the majority of the

recovered firearms to the purchaser, who further investigation revealed had given them to a

convicted felon. The purchaser and the felon operated in high crime areas of North Philadelphia and sold AK-47 type rifles to persons suspected of being local drug traffickers. One of the

sales was made to a juvenile. A jury found the suspects guilty on all counts, including firearms

trafficking and possession of a firearm in a school zone. The felon-trafficker received a sentence of

eleven years and four months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. The straw

purchaser was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison, followed by three years of

supervised release. The defendants are appealing their conviction based on the length of the

sentence.

Richmond, Virginia: Straw purchaser for gang at gun shows. A trafficker who was a gang

member used a straw purchaser to buy firearms at gun shows for other gang members. This

case involved the Charlie Boys street gang, linked to gang warfare involving numerous homicides over the previous three years. ATF, working with the Richmond Street Crimes Unit, has

been able to document 11 such weapons, purchased over a five month period, of which eight

were recovered in crimes. Almost all the guns were bought from Federally licensed firearms

dealers at gun shows. The trafficker acted as a straw purchaser for fellow gang members. In

return for his plea to aiding and abetting the illegal possession, trafficking charges were
4 February 1999

Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative • Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms

dropped. The trafficker has been convicted and sentenced to 6 years and 6 months in Federal

Prison. The trafficker’s two co-defendants were also successfully prosecuted for their possession of the firearms provided by the trafficker. Each co-defendant received 5 years and 10 months

for their participation with the guns provided by the trafficker. The gang leader was also successfully prosecuted separately and received 16 years and 3 months. These cases were made through

vigorously enforcing the firearms statutes in conjunction with Project Exile and YCGII.

Tucson: Trafficking at gun shows of firearms bought from gun stores. Over a nearly two

year period, this trafficker bought 595 firearms from three FFLs and sold them illegally from

his residence and at gun shows, some to youth and juveniles. One gun recovered in Los Angeles was involved in a homicide. His gun show sales table displayed handguns and a sign

advertising guns for sale “Private Sale, No Paper Work, No City Sales Tax, Cash Only.” In light

of his advanced age, the defendant was permitted to plead guilty to a Federal firearms misdemeanor and relinquished his right to his remaining firearms.

Measuring success. According to the Department of Justice, the overall rate of violent crime committed with guns is down 27 percent from 1993. The youth crime rate is also down, although it remains historically high. Many factors have been cited as contributing to this decline, including community policing and innovative joint local law enforcement efforts, prevention programs, penalty and

sentencing policies and incarceration rates, changes in the illegal drug market, and the increased focus

on firearms enforcement. New developments in firearms enforcement since 1993 include Brady

background checks, Federal firearms licensing reform, and, pursuant to YCGII and related programs,

increased crime gun tracing which is supporting Federal, State, and local efforts to reduce illegal gun

trafficking, carrying, and possession by criminals and juveniles.

The most immediate measure of the success of YCGII lies in the investigations of illegal trafficking

cases, which have resulted in participating YCGII cities in the submission for prosecution of almost

400 defendants. That combined with the interception of thousands of trafficked firearms provides

tangible relief to the public from the additional crimes that these firearms and defendants would

inflict upon society, as indicated by ATF’s published performance measures for these critical areas.

Through YCGII funding, ATF has made extensive use of independent academic experts to assess

firearms trafficking patterns and support ATF in providing accurate information to Federal, State and

local law enforcement about these patterns. Given the recent advent of Federal, State, and local focus

on firearms trafficking, no baselines currently exist against which to measure changes in illegal trafficking. Through the work of YCGII and similar activities these baselines are now being created. At

this early stage of research on the relationship between firearms trafficking and the illegal acquisition

of firearms by juveniles and youth, additional work by academics and practitioners, such as longitudinal studies and controlled experiments, will be necessary to provide additional evidence to explain any

reductions in firearms trafficking to and youth crime among these age groups.

Fiscal Year 2000 Budget Request. ATF is seeking an additional $11.2 million for YCGII, to support

10 new cities in instituting comprehensive crime gun tracing, to develop trace analysis to support

investigations of illegal trafficking and other firearms crimes, and to add new special agents to

strengthen enforcement of the nation's firearms laws. Among the most important anticipated developments in YCGII is electronic access by ATF field offices to Project LEAD, ATF's crime gun information

system that uses trace data to produce investigative leads. This will support a further increase in

collaboration with State and local law enforcement agencies in illegal trafficking investigations. ATF

is committed to a city by city approach to firearms enforcement developed through YCGII, which

takes into account carefully developed facts both about the local crime gun problem and State, regional, and national factors that affect the local crime gun problem. In conjunction with continued

efforts to incarcerate and deter armed criminals, ATF's illegal trafficking program and YCGII will

continue to assist in reducing violent crime across the country.
February 1999 5

Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms • Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative

Review of ATF Illegal Trafficking Investigations Involving

Juveniles and Youth

Through a survey of its field divisions, ATF reviewed its illegal trafficking investigations involving

juveniles and youth. This survey was conducted to assist in providing focus and direction to the

task of assigning special agent resources to YCGII. For this first report to Congress, ATF is providing a copy of this benchmark research. This research can be revisited in subsequent years to

assist in gauging the impact of the program. The results are summarized below.

Illegal trafficking investigations. The survey confirms that the illegal gun market involves a

significant number of illegal gun traffickers. The Department of the Treasury, ATF and outside

researchers2 reviewed information on over 640 investigations nationwide involving gun trafficking to juveniles and youth initiated after YCGII started in July 1996. Of these investigations, 41.4

percent have been adjudicated.3 The investigations involved almost 27,000 reported trafficked

firearms.4

Relationship between felon in possession and illegal trafficking investigations. Trafficking

investigations constitute one aspect of ATF’s firearms enforcement program, which is designed to

reduce violent crime by engaging two strategies: (1) incarcerating and deterring armed violent

criminals, and (2) reducing the illegal diversion of firearms to juveniles, criminals, and other

prohibited persons. With respect to felons and firearms, these two strategies may overlap; for

example, an armed felon also may be an illegal gun trafficker, or an illegal gun trafficker may be

facilitating the activities of a number of armed felons. The particular mix of investigative approaches in a given jurisdiction depends on the local crime problem, priorities of local law enforcement officials, including Federal, State, and local law enforcement, and available investigative information. While the survey discussed here was directed at illegal trafficking investigations, many of the investigations involve felons in possession of firearms.

Trafficking in new, used, and stolen firearms. The survey of investigations shows that juveniles and youth offenders are obtaining both new and older firearms through trafficking. Over

three quarters of the investigations involved trafficking in new guns, over half involved trafficking

in used guns, and over a third involved trafficking in stolen firearms, both new and used.5

Trafficked guns used in subsequent crime. In more than two-thirds of the investigations,

improperly transferred firearms were known to have been subsequently involved in additional

crimes. More than 23 percent of the investigations were associated with juvenile possession.

Twenty-eight percent of the trafficking investigations were associated with assaults; nearly 18

percent were associated with homicides and 18 percent with robberies. More than 45 percent

involved firearms associated with felons-in-possession, and more than half with other kinds of

illegal possession.6 About 11 percent of the investigations involved National Firearms Act (NFA)

2

 Anthony A. Braga and David M. Kennedy, both of the John F. Kennedy School of Government,

Harvard University.

3 See Appendix. Because ATF’s budget dedicates special agents to YCGII cities in Fiscal Year 1999,

the investigative review covering prior years was not limited to YCGII cities.

4 See Appendix, table 6.

5 See Appendix, table 7. Some investigations involve firearms from more than one category.

6 See Appendix, table 8.
6 February 1999

Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative • Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms

weapons violations, mostly sawed off shotguns or short barrel rifles and shotguns, but also machine guns, and firearams illegally converted from semiautomatic to fully automatic.7

Multiple illegal trafficking sources. The investigations show that law enforcement is confronting multiple illegal sources of firearms. Half of the investigations involved firearms trafficked by

straw purchasers,8 either an individual or a ring. A fifth of the investigations involved trafficking

in firearms stolen from a Federally licensed firearms dealer, including licensed pawnbrokers

(FFLs). Unregulated private sellers, as distinct from straw purchasers and other traffickers, were

involved in 14 percent of the trafficking investigations; six percent of the investigations involved

FFLs; and about 10 percent of the investigations involved gun shows and similar venues where

both FFLs and unregulated private vendors sell firearms. Nearly 14 percent of the trafficking

investigations involved firearms stolen from a residence.9

Convicted felons as traffickers. Over a third of the traffickers involved in the investigations had

prior felony convictions, as had just under a third of traffickers who were firearms thieves and

robbers, and just under a quarter of the straw purchasers who were traffickers.10 Felons obtained

firearms from FFLs by using false identification or providing false information to the FFL.

Role of juveniles (ages 17 and under) and youth (ages 18 to 24). Juveniles were primarily

involved in the trafficking investigations as possessors of firearms. However, a quarter of the

investigations also involved juveniles as thieves or robbers of firearms, and nearly a fifth of the

investigations involved juveniles as gun traffickers. Slightly fewer youth were involved in the

investigations as thieves or robbers, but youth were nearly twice as likely to be involved as traffickers, and due to age restrictions on purchase of firearms, about ten times as likely to be involved as straw purchasers.11

Straw purchaser relationships. Half of all investigations involved trafficking through some

form of straw purchase.12 More than 30 percent of the investigations involve groups of straw

purchasers or straw purchasers working for a trafficker.13 Almost half of these involved straw

purchasers who were friends of the trafficker. About 40 percent involved relatives or intimates.

Close to a third involved straw purchasers paid with money or drugs.14

Smaller scale and larger scale trafficking. Trafficking occurred on different scales. Slightly

less than 43 percent of the investigations involved 10 firearms or fewer; nearly 37 percent involved

7 See Appendix, table 9. Under the NFA, certain firearms and other weapons must be registered.

(See U.S.C. chapter 53).

8

 A “straw purchase” occurs when the actual buyer of a firearm uses another person, the “straw

purchaser,” to execute the paperwork necessary to purchase a firearm from an FFL. Specifically, the actual

buyer uses the straw purchaser to execute the firearms transaction record, purporting to show that the

straw purchaser is the actual purchaser of the firearm. Often, a straw purchaser is used because the actual

purchaser is prohibited from acquiring the firearm because of a felony conviction or another firearms

disability.

9 See Appendix, table 4. See also Appendix, table 10.

10 See Appendix, table 10.

11See Appendix, table 1.

12 See Appendix, table 4.

13See Appendix, table 11. Since the straw purchasers in an investigation may have different relationships with the trafficker(s), an investigation can be included in more than one category.

14 Ibid.
February 1999 7

Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms • Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative

21 or more firearms; and nearly 15 percent involved 51 or more firearms. The two largest numbers of firearms reported in connection with a single investigation were 1,359 and 1,600 respectively.15 The mean number of straw purchasers associated with straw purchasing rings was close

to two; the maximum number was 25. Similarly, the mean number of firearms thieves/robbers

associated with trafficking in stolen guns was just under 3; the maximum number was 25.16

In-State and out-of-State trafficking. Overall, more than 70 percent of the juvenile and youthrelated trafficking investigations involved intrastate firearms trafficking, while slightly less than

half involved interstate firearms trafficking. (Some investigations involved both).15 But there

were regional variations.18 Relative to other regions, there was a higher percentage of intrastate

trafficking investigations in the Southwest, Central, and West regions of the United States, respectively. Investigations involving interstate trafficking were most frequent in the Northeast region,

and least frequent in the Southwest.19

Regional variations in illegal trafficking methods. While the juvenile and youth-related

investigations from each region of the country involve a variety of methods of gun trafficking, the

relative mix of types of trafficking investigations differs by region.20 Investigations involving

trafficking by straw purchasers or straw purchasing rings were most prevalent in the Northeast and

Central regions of the United States, and least prevalent in the Southwest and West. Investigations involving trafficking in firearms stolen from FFLs were most prevalent in the Southwest and

least prominent in the Northeast. Investigations involving unregulated private sellers, as distinct

from straw purchasers and other traffickers, were most prevalent in the West region, and investigations involving FFL traffickers were more frequent in the West and Central regions than in other

regions.21

National Tracing Center (NTC) trace and multiple sales records as investigative tools.

Trafficking investigations depend on various investigative tools — crime gun and multiple sales

form analysis, confidential informants, reports by FFLs, and referrals from other law enforcement

agencies — each useful in particular circumstances. For instance, because NTC firearms traces

generally end with the first retail purchaser, debriefing of arrestees is especially important when

tracking the illegal source of a used gun. The investigative survey shows that while special agents

are using a variety of investigative tools, analysis of NTC trace and multiple sales records was the

most important factor resulting in trafficking investigations involving juveniles and youth, accounting for initiation of over 37 percent of the investigations.22

15 See Appendix, table 6.

16 See Appendix, table 10.

17 See Appendix, table 5. As measured in the survey, this indicator does not distinguish between

firearms trafficked to the state in the investigation or from the state in the investigation. Rather, it documents regional variation in interstate “movement” of trafficked firearms.

18 For purposes of a regional comparison, five regions were identified:

Northeast region: Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, DC field divisions;

Southeast region: Charlotte, Miami, Tampa, Atlanta, Nashville, and New Orleans field divisions;

Central region: Chicago, Columbus, Detroit, Kansas City, Louisville, and St. Paul field divisions;

Southwest region: Phoenix, Dallas, and Houston field divisions;

West region: Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle field divisions.

19 See Appendix, table 12.

20 Ibid.

21 Ibid.

22 See Appendix, table 2.
8 February 1999

Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative • Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms

Additional Information on the Illegal Youth Firearms Market

One of the goals of YCGII is to collect, assess, and improve information on the illegal gun market.

Toward that end, ATF has provided the National Institute of Justice $300,000 to support research

on the illegal gun market in selected YCGII cities. That research is ongoing at this time. This

section summarizes key information from currently available published reports indicating that

diversion of firearms from the legal to the illegal market is a source of crime guns to minors, and

therefore an important focus for ATF investigative resources.

Crime gun trace analysis. Crime gun trace analyses use a measure called “time-to-crime” — the

time it takes for a gun to move from retail purchase to recovery by law enforcement — to indicate

whether illegal diversion may have occurred. Time-to-crime of three years or less is considered a

trafficking indicator. Trace analysis can also show if law enforcement officials are recovering

concentrations of certain makes of guns, and whether there are patterns associated with the

obliteration of serial numbers.

Trace analysis indicates but does not precisely describe a trafficking problem. Fast time-to-crime

does not by itself establish that a particular firearm was trafficked. The tracing process cannot

show directly what happened in between the first retail sale of a firearm and its recovery by law

enforcement — whether a firearm was legally purchased and later stolen; sold illegally by an FFL;

bought by a straw purchaser, or any other of many possibilities.

Boston trace study.23 A study of more than 1,500 firearms recovered from youth age 21 and under

in Boston showed that 26 percent of all traceable firearms, and more than 40 percent of traceable

semiautomatic pistols, had a time-to-crime of less than two years. Half of all the firearms with a

time-to-crime of under two years were recovered by police within eight months of their retail sale

by an FFL.24 There was one make of firearm frequently recovered by police for which 90 percent of

the traces showed a time-to-crime of less than three years.23 Twenty percent of all guns recovered

from youth had obliterated serial numbers.24 The authors concluded that these findings “revealed

the central role of an illicit gun market featuring a flow of relatively new, semiautomatic weapons.”27

YCGII 1997 Trace Reports. ATF’s 1997 YCGII Trace Reports, a study of crime gun traces in 17

communities, concluded that there was a significant trafficking problem because “many recovered firearms are rapidly diverted from first retail sales at Federally licensed gun dealers to an

illegal market that supplies juveniles and youth.”28 Up to 43 percent of crime guns recovered from

minors and 54 percent of crime guns recovered from possessors aged 18 to 24 showed a time-to23 David Kennedy, Anne Piehl, and Anthony Braga, “Youth Violence in Boston: Gun Markets,

Serious Youth Offenders, and A Use-Reduction Strategy,” Law and Contemporary Problems, Vol. 59, No.1,

Winter 1996. P. 172.

24 Ibid.

25 Ibid. p. 173.

26 Ibid. p. 174.

27 Ibid. p. 149.

28 “Crime Gun Trace Analysis Reports: The Illegal Youth Firearms Market in 17 Communities,”

Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, July 1997. P. 8.
February 1999 9

Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms • Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative

crime of three years or less.29 Firearms recovered from juvenile and youth possessors showed a

greater concentration by make and model relative to those recovered from older possessors.30 The

1999 YCGII Trace Reports contain trace analysis from 27 communities.

Surveys. ATF also reviews published surveys of high school students and incarcerated juveniles

that use self-reporting to find out how minors obtain firearms. The authors of the most important available survey of juvenile gun possessors, published in 1993, stated that only 12 percent of

the juvenile inmates and 2 percent of the high school students reported stealing their most recent

handguns.31 The authors reported that 7 percent of inmates and 11 percent of high school students personally bought their most recent gun from a gun store or a pawnshop.32 The authors

also reported that a total of 32 percent of the inmates and 18 percent of the students had asked

someone to purchase a gun for them in a gun shop, pawnshop, or other retail outlet, and that 12

percent of the inmates and 28 percent of the students indicated that if they needed a firearm they

would either buy it from a store or ask someone to do so for them.33 This survey is consistent

with ATF’s trace analysis and investigative information34 in showing that diversion from retail

sources is a significant source of crime guns for minors.

29 Ibid.

30 Ibid.

31 “Gun Acquisition and Possession in Selected Juvenile Samples,” Sheley, Joseph F. And Wright,

James D., U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, December 1993. P. 6.

32 Ibid.

33 Ibid. pp. 6-7.

34 See e.g. Appendix, table 11.
10 February 1999

Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative • Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms

APPENDIX

Survey of ATF Trafficking Investigations Involving Juveniles and Youth

To conduct the survey, on December 31, 1998, the Assistant Director (Firearms, Explosives, and

Arson) Jimmy Wooten requested all Division Directors to provide any information on all firearms trafficking investigations in their respective areas initiated after the Youth Crime Gun

Interdiction Initiative commenced. ATF’s budget dedicates special agents to YCGII cities beginning in Fiscal Year 1999; therefore, the investigative review covering prior years was not limited

to YCGII cities. As part of this request, the Assistant Director provided a survey instrument to

structure the investigation information. The survey instrument is reproduced at the end of this

Appendix. All twenty-three field divisions responded by January 28, 1999.

The following tables provide an analysis of information received in response to the survey. The

survey responses reported 1,604 illegal trafficking investigations. The tables below present

information concerning those 648 investigations involving youth (ages 18 to 24) and/or juveniles

(ages 17 and under), approximately 40 percent of the reported investigations.

Table 1: The Role of Youth and Juveniles in Trafficking Investigations

40.4% (648 of 1604) of the investigations involved YOUTH or JUVENILES or both.

Youth

38.9% (625 of 1604) of the investigations involved YOUTH (ages 18 – 24).

N = 625

Note: Since an investigation could involve youth in several roles, an investigation can be included in more

than one category.

Role Number Percent

Possessor 337 53.9%

Trafficker 236 37.8%

Straw purchaser 149 23.8%

Thief/robber of firearms 122 19.5%

Juvenile

13.0% (209 of 1604) of the investigations involved JUVENILES (ages 17 and under).

N = 209

Note: Since an investigation could involve juveniles in several roles, an investigation can be included in

more than one category.

Role Number Percent

Possessor 155 74.2%

Thief/robber of firearms 53 25.3%

Trafficker 40 19.1%

Straw purchaser 4 1.9%

Of the total of 1,604 investigations reported, 648 (40.4 percent) of these firearms trafficking

investigations involved juveniles or youth or both. Juveniles and youth were most frequently

involved in these investigations as possessors of trafficked firearms, with juveniles figuring more

prominently as possessors. Youth were nearly twice as likely as juveniles to be involved as

traffickers and, due to age restrictions on the purchase of firearms, about ten times as likely to

be involved as straw purchasers. Juveniles were slightly more likely to be involved in these

investigations as thieves and/or robbers of firearms than youths.
February 1999 11

Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms • Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative

Table 2: Initiation of Investigation Involving Youth and Juveniles

Note: Since an investigation may be initiated in more than one way, an investigation can be included in

more than one category.

Reason Number Percent

Referral from another state, local or federal agency 164 25.3%

Trace analysis after firearms recovery 159 24.5%

Confidential informant 126 19.4%

Review of multiple sales forms 83 12.8%

FFL reports burglary/theft/robbery to ATF 75 11.6%

FFL reported suspicious activity 62 9.6%

Developed from another ATF investigation 53 8.2%

ATF initiated investigation of suspicious activity

(e.g. gun show task force, interstate theft task force, etc.) 28 4.3%

ATF Regulatory inspection of FFL records 13 2.0%

Tip by concerned citizen or anonymous source 10 1.5%

Other 1 0.2%

Overall, most of the trafficking investigations involving youth and juveniles were the result of

referrals from other law enforcement agencies, firearms trace data analysis, and ATF-initiated

investigations. Nearly 20 percent of the investigations (19.4 percent) were initiated through

information obtained from a confidential informant or tip. In 9.6 percent of the investigations,

FFLs reported suspicious activity to ATF. About 12 percent of the investigations were initiated by

FFLs reporting burglaries, thefts, and robberies to ATF.
12 February 1999

Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative • Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms

Table 3: Violations in the Main Investigations Involving Youth and Juveniles

Note: Since an investigation may involve multiple violations, an investigation may be included in more

than one category.

Violation Number Percent

Straw purchasing 310 47.8%

Dealing without a license 188 29.0%

Possessing/receiving/trafficking stolen firearms 149 23.0%

Burglary/theft/robbery of

FFL/common carrier/manufacturer 134 20.7%

Purchase/possession/sales by felon 133 20.6%

Non-licensee engaging in interstate firearms trafficking 86 13.3%

Providing false information to acquire firearms 76 11.8%

Possession/manufacture/trafficking of NFA weapons 72 11.1%

Trafficking 63 9.7%

Obliterating or altering serial numbers 58 9.0%

Sales to prohibited persons 51 7.9%

Receipt/possession/sales by prohibited persons 31 4.8%

Use of gun during violent crime or drug trafficking 29 4.5%

International firearms trafficking 23 3.5%

FFL failure to keep required records 20 3.1%

Trading guns for drugs 17 2.6%

FFL transfer to prohibited persons 15 2.3%

Providing firearms to juveniles 12 1.9%

Providing gun to be used in violent/ drug crime 10 1.5%

FFL making false entries in records 9 1.4%

Non-licensee trafficking to felons 9 1.5%

Trafficking/possession by illegal alien 6 1.0%

FFL conducts illegal out-of-state transfer 4 0.6%

Other FFL violations (selling away from premises,

failure to report multiple sales, failure to conduct Brady check) 4 0.6%

Transfer/receive firearms through interstate

commerce with intent to commit felony 3 0.5%

Possession/manufacture/transfer of illegal assault weapon 3 0.5%

Armed career criminal 2 0.3%

Failure to notify common carrier of firearms shipment 2 0.3%

Unspecified violation(s) 3 0.5%

A wide variety of apparent violations were uncovered during the investigations. Most of the

violations involved “selling” violations (for example, dealing without a license) and “buying”

violations (for example, straw purchasing). Violations involving the theft of firearms also figured

prominently. Slightly less than 20 percent of the violations specified in the investigations involved

convicted felons buying, selling, or possessing firearms. Only 3.5 percent of the investigations

involved international trafficking violations and 11 percent of the investigations involved NFA

violations.
February 1999 13

Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms • Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative

Table 4: Sources of Firearms Trafficking Identified in Investigations Involving Youth and

Juveniles

Note: Since firearms may be trafficked along multiple channels, an investigation may be included in more

than one category.

Source Number %

Firearms trafficked by straw purchaser or straw purchasing ring 330 50.9%

Trafficking in firearms stolen from FFL 134 20.7%

Trafficking in firearms by unregulated private sellers* 92 14.2%

Trafficking in firearms stolen from residence 88 13.6%

Trafficking in firearms at gun shows, flea markets, auctions,

or in want ads and gun magazines 64 9.9%

Firearms trafficked by licensed dealer, including pawnbroker 41 6.3%

Street criminals buying and selling guns from unknown sources 26 4.0%

Trafficking in firearms stolen from common carrier 16 2.5%

Other sources (e.g. selling guns over internet, illegal pawning) 9 1.4%

Half of the investigations involved firearms being trafficked by straw purchasers. Slightly more

than 14 percent of the trafficking investigations involved firearms sold by unregulated private

dealers and about 10 percent involved firearms diverted at gun shows or other secondary market

sources. Trafficking by licensed dealers was involved in only 6.3 percent of the investigations.

*as distinct from straw purchasers and other traffickers
14 February 1999

Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative • Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms

Table 5: Interstate, Intrastate, and International Trafficking in Investigations Involving Youth

and Juveniles

Destination of trafficked firearms Number Percent

Intrastate 478 73.8%

Interstate 302 46.6%

International 40 6.2%

Unknown 10 1.5%

Mutually exclusive categories:

Intrastate only 319 49.2%

Interstate only 142 21.9%

Interstate and intrastate 137 21.1%

Interstate, intrastate, and international 21 3.2%

International only 16 2.5%

Interstate and international 2 0.3%

Intrastate and international 1 0.1%

Unknown 10 1.5%

More than 70 percent of the investigations involved intrastate firearms trafficking while slightly

less than half of the investigations involved interstate firearms trafficking. Only 21 percent of the

investigations involved firearms being trafficked both interstate and intrastate. Firearms were

trafficked internationally in about six percent of the investigations.
February 1999 15

Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms • Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative

Table 6: Number of Firearms Involved in Trafficking Investigations Involving Youth and

Juveniles

N=648

Range Number Percent

Less than 5 130 20.1%

5 – 10 147 22.7%

11 – 20 123 19.0%

21 – 50 142 21.9%

51 – 100 54 8.3%

101 – 250 26 4.0%

251 or greater 17 2.6%

Unknown 9 1.4%

A total of 26,928 firearms were reported to be involved in these 648 investigations. Slightly less

than 43 percent of the investigations involved 10 firearms or less; nearly 37 percent involved 21 or

more firearms; and nearly 15 percent involved 51 or more firearms. The two largest numbers of

firearms reported in connection with a single investigation were 1,359 and 1,600, respectively.
16 February 1999

Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative • Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms

Table 7: New, Used, and Stolen Guns in Trafficking Investigations Involving Youth and

Juveniles

Note: Since more than one type of firearm can be recovered in an investigation, an investigation can be

included in more than one category.

Type of firearm Number Percent

New guns 507 78.2%

Used guns 357 55.1%

Stolen guns 227 35.0%

Unknown 8 1.2%

Stolen firearms:

New guns 136 61.2%

Used guns 182 80.2%

Mutually exclusive categories for new and used firearms:

New guns only 283 43.6%

New and used guns 224 34.5%

Used guns only 133 20.5%

Unknown 8 1.2%

The investigations involved the trafficking of new, used, and stolen firearms, with new firearms

figuring more prominently. Both new and used firearms were also trafficked in investigations

involving stolen firearms, with used firearms figuring more prominently. New and used guns

were trafficked together in almost thirty-five percent of the investigations.
February 1999 17

Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms • Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative

Table 8: Trafficked Firearms Known to Have Been Involved in Subsequent Crimes

67.3% of the investigations (436 of 648) had at least one firearm known to have been recovered in

subsequent crime.

N = 436

Note: Since firearms recovered in an investigation may be used in many different types of crime, an investigation can be included in more than one category.

Number of cases

Crime with at least one Percent

Criminal possession (not felon in possession) 237 54.3%

Felon in possession 199 45.6%

Drug offense 134 30.7%

Assault 124 28.4%

Juvenile possession 101 23.1%

Robbery 78 17.9%

Homicide 78 17.9%

Property crime 71 16.2%

Sexual assault/ rape 9 2.1%

Other crime 14 3.2%

In more than two-thirds of the investigations, improperly transferred firearms were known to

have been subsequently involved in additional crimes. More than half of these investigations

involved firearms associated with illegal possession; more than 45 percent involved firearms

associated with felons in possession; more than 23 percent of the investigations were associated

with juvenile possession. Twenty-eight percent of the investigations were associated with assaults;

and nearly 18 percent were associated with homicides and robberies, respectively.
18 February 1999

Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative • Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms

Table 9: Weapons Associated with NFA Violations in Investigations Involving Youth and

Juveniles

N = 72

Note: Since investigations may involve different types of NFA weapons, an investigation can be included in

more than one category. However, “converted guns” have not been included in the “machine gun” count.

Number of cases

NFA weapon with at least one Percent

Sawed-off shotguns/short-barrel rifles & shotguns 43 59.7%

Machine guns 19 26.4%

Silencers 14 19.4%

Other explosives (e.g. blasting caps) 5 6.9%

Converted guns 4 5.6%

Grenades/Grenade launchers 3 4.2%

Conversion kits/parts 1 1.4%

About 11 percent (72 of 648) of the investigations involved NFA weapons violations. Nearly 60

percent involved sawed-off shotguns and/or short-barrel firearms and nearly 20 percent involved

silencers. More than a quarter of these investigations involved machine guns and slightly more

less 20 percent involved firearms converted to fully automatic.
February 1999 19

Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms • Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative

Table 10: Firearms Traffickers Identified in Investigations Involving Youth and Juveniles

In the 648 investigations, ATF agents identified...

Number of Investigations Number of

participants identifying at least one participants Felony conviction

Role N N Percent Mean Max N Percent

Straw purchaser

working for trafficker 330 201 31.0% 1.6 25 17 5.2%

Firearms thief/robber 484 173 26.7% 2.8 25 145 30.0%

Trafficker is the

straw purchaser 141 127 19.6% 1.1 3 34 24.1%

FFL Trafficker 47 31 4.7% 1.5 10 3 6.4%

Former FFL 4 4 0.6% 1 1 0 0.0%

Other trafficker 463 302 46.6% 1.5 23 170 36.7%
20 February 1999

Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative • Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms

Table 11: Straw Purchaser Relationships

There were 201 investigations where ATF agents identified at least one straw purchaser working

for the trafficker(s). In these investigations, the relationships between the straw purchaser and

the trafficker(s) were described as:

Relationship N of cases Percent

Friend 95 47.3%

Business (paid with money or drugs to buy guns) 60 29.9%

Relative 45 22.4%

Intimate (spouse or girlfriend) 37 18.4%

Member of same gang 15 7.5%

Note: Since the straw purchasers in an investigation may have different relationships with the trafficker(s),

an investigation can be included in more than one category.
February 1999 21

Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms • Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative

Table 12: Highlights of Regional Differences in Investigations Involving Youth and Juveniles

Note: Categories are not mutually exclusive.

Northeast Southeast Central Southwest West

Firearms trafficked by straw

purchaser or straw purchasing ring 65.1% 44.1% 55.1% 27.8% 31.3%

Trafficking in firearms stolen

from FFL 10.1% 31.6% 14.0% 40.0% 25.0%

Trafficking in firearms stolen

from residence 10.5% 8.1% 16.9% 24.4% 14.5%

Trafficking in firearms stolen

from common carrier 2.1% 4.4% 1.5% 1.1% 4.2%

Trafficking in firearms at gun shows,

flea markets, auctions, or through

want ads and gun magazines 5.9% 9.5% 11.8% 11.1% 22.9%

Trafficking in firearms by

unregulated private sellers* 12.6% 10.3% 16.1% 14.4% 27.0%

Firearms trafficked by licensed

dealer, including pawnbrokers 3.4% 5.8% 11.0% 5.5% 10.4%

Possession/manufacture/trafficking

of NFA weapons 9.2% 6.6% 11.8% 14.4% 25.0%

Firearms trafficked interstate 55.4% 45.6% 41.9% 30.0% 50.0%

Firearms trafficked intrastate 59.7% 68.4% 88.9% 90.0% 85.4%

New firearms 79.8% 88.2% 76.4% 61.1% 79.2%

Used firearms 42.4% 52.2% 57.4% 80.0% 72.9%

* as distinct from straw purchasers and other traffickers

Northeast region: Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, DC field divisions

Southeast region: Charlotte, Miami, Tampa, Atlanta, Nashville, and New Orleans field divisions

Central region: Chicago, Columbus, Detroit, Kansas City, Louisville, and St. Paul field divisions

Southwest region: Phoenix, Dallas, and Houston field divisions

West region: Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle field divisions
22 February 1999

Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative • Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms

Methodology

The preceding analyses are based on a survey of ATF special agents reporting information about

recent trafficking investigations. The investigations reflect what ATF has encountered and investigated; they do not necessarily reflect typical criminal diversions of firearms or the typical acquisition of firearms by youth and juveniles. Nevertheless, they suggest that the criminal diversion of

firearms is an important crime and public safety problem.

The analyses use data from investigations referred for prosecution and adjudicated (41.4 percent

of the investigations), and investigations that have not yet been referred for prosecution. Thus,

not all violations described will necessarily be charged as crimes or result in convictions. As a

consequence, the exact number of offenders in the investigation, the number and types of firearms involved, and the types of crimes associated with recovered firearms may not have been

fully known to the case agents at the time of the survey, and some information may be

underreported. For example, it is likely that the number of firearms involved in the investigations

could increase, as could as the number and types of violations, as more information is uncovered

by the agents working the investigations.

Information generated as part of a criminal investigation also does not necessarily capture all

data about trafficking and trafficking patterns. For example, investigative information necessary

to build a strong case worthy of prosecution may provide very detailed descriptions of firearms

used as evidence in the case but may not even estimate, much less describe in detail, all the firearms involved in the trafficking enterprise.

Information was not provided with enough consistency and specificity to determine the number

of handguns, rifles, and shotguns trafficked in a particular investigation. Likewise, special agents

may not have information on trafficked firearms subsequently used in crime since such information is not always available. Comprehensive tracing of crime guns does not exist nationwide and,

until the very recent Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative, most major cities did not trace all

recovered crime guns. The figures on new, used, and stolen firearms reflect the number of investigations in which the traffickers were known to deal in these kinds of weapons. The figures on

stolen firearms are subject to the usual problems associated with determining whether a firearm

has been stolen. Many stolen firearms are not reported to the police. Such limitations apply to

much of the data collected in this research.

Except where noted, the unit of analysis in the review of investigations is the investigation itself.

The data show, for example, the proportion of investigations that were known by agents to involve

new, used, and stolen firearms, but these figures do not represent a proportion or count of the

number of new, used, or stolen firearms being trafficked. The data show what proportion of

investigations were known to involve a firearm subsequently used in a homicide, but not how

many homicides were committed by firearms trafficked. It was not possible to gather more

specific information within the short timeframe of the study.

Finally, this is the first time ATF has attempted to gather this information from its field divisions.

The analysis in this report is based on the best information currently available. The Performance

Report study framework did not permit a detailed review and verification of all the submitted

information. With the continued development of the Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative,

ATF intends to pursue more routine, detailed, and verified reporting from its field divisions to

facilitate analysis of the effectiveness of enforcement and the development of enforcement policies.
February 1999 23

Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms • Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative

Survey Instrument

ATF Field Division:

ATF Investigation Number:

Investigation Title:

How was the investigation initiated?

1= confidential informant

2= referral from another state, local, or federal agency

3= FFL reported suspicious activity

4= developed from another investigation

5= review of multiple sales forms

6= Project LEAD or other local tracing project

7= gun recovered and traced to origins

8= ATF initiated investigation of suspicious activity (e.g. ATF Gun Show Task Force)

9= ATF Regulatory inspection of FFL records

10= anonymous tip

11= other Please specify:_______________________

What were the violations in the investigation?

Please use the space below to write all violations associated with the traffickers in the

investigation (e.g., trafficking, straw purchasing, dealing by non-licensed individuals, “off

paper” sales, sales to prohibited persons, obliterating firearms, etc.)

Were there any Title II violations in this investigation?

0= NO 1= YES

Please use the space below to described the Title II violations (e.g., machine guns, converted guns, conversion kits, silencers, grenades, short barreled firearms, etc.).
24 February 1999

Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative • Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms

Please describe the trafficking enterprise.

Circle all appropriate trafficking channels listed below. For example, if a FFL was trafficking firearms at a flea market, choices 1 and 7 would be selected.

 1= Firearms trafficked by licensed dealer, including pawnbroker.

 2= Firearms trafficked by straw purchaser or straw purchasing ring.

 3= Trafficking in firearms stolen from FFL.

 4= Trafficking in firearms stolen from common carrier.

 5= Trafficking in firearms stolen from residence.

 6= Trafficking in firearms by unregulated private sellers.

 7= Trafficking in firearms at gun shows, flea markets, auctions, or want ads and gun

magazines.

 8= Other. Please specify:__________________________

Were there NEW guns being trafficked?

0= NO 1= YES

Were there OLD guns being trafficked?

0= NO 1= YES

Were there USED guns being trafficked?

0= NO 1= YES

Were the firearms being trafficked INTERSTATE?

0= NO 1= YES

Were the firearms being trafficked INTRASTATE?

0= NO 1= YES

Were the firearm being trafficked INTERNATIONALLY?

0= NO 1= YES
February 1999 25

Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms • Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative

Please describe the number and types of firearms involved in the investigation.

Please provide as much detail as possible; if the number of handguns and long guns are

not known, only fill in the number of firearms.

Total number of firearms: _____________

Total number of handguns: _____________

Total number of long guns: _____________

Total number of rifles: _____________

Total number of shot guns: _____________

Beyond the number of firearms known to be involved in the investigation, please estimate the

number of firearms that may have been trafficked by the individual(s) under investigation.

Estimated firearms: _______________

Did this investigation involve YOUTH (person ages 18-24)?

0= NO 1= YES

If yes, how were youth involved? Circle all that apply

1= straw purchaser(s)

2= trafficker(s)

3= possessor(s) of trafficked firearms

4= thief/robber(s)

5= other.

Please specify:____________

Did this investigation involve JUVENILES (person ages 17 and under)?

0= NO 1= YES

If yes, how were juveniles involved? Circle all that apply

1= straw purchaser(s)

2= trafficker(s)

3= possessor(s) of trafficked firearms

4= thief/robber(s)

5= other.

 Please specify:____________
26 February 1999

Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative • Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms

Were the trafficked firearms known to be recovered in subsequent crimes?

0= NO 1= YES

If yes, please enter the number for each crime below. If exact numbers are unknown,

please simply put a check in the space provided.

Homicide: _______________

Assault: _______________

Robbery: _______________

Sexual assault/ rape: _______________

Property crime: _______________

Felon in possession: _______________

Juvenile in possession: _______________

Illegal possession: _______________

Drug offense: _______________

Other (please specify): _______________

15. Please provide information on the defendant(s) in the investigation. Please use the space

below to describe their role in the case (e.g. straw purchaser, FFL, trafficker, etc.), age, sex, race,

and whether the person had a felony record.

16. If there were straw purchasers involved in this investigation, please provide any information

you may have on the relationship between the straw purchaser and the actual trafficker. Please

circle all that apply.

1= Friend

2= Intimate

3= Relative

4= Business relationship (paid with money or drugs to buy guns for the trafficker)

5= Straw purchaser is the trafficker.

6= Other

Please specify: __________________

17. Has this case been adjudicated?

0= NO 1= YES
February 1999 27

Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms • Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative

18. Please use this page to summarize any other pertinent information on this investigation.
This report is also accessible via the Internet on the ATF website:

http://www.atf.treas

For further information or additional copies of this report, contact ATF’s

Office of Liaison and Public Information

(202) 927-8500