TITLE: The BJA Firearms Trafficking Program: Demonstrating Effective Strategies To Control Violent Crime .
Series: BJA Bulletin
Published: November 1997
Author: John Veen, Bureau of Justice Assistance
Stacie Dunbar, Melissa Reuland, and John Stedman, 
Police Executive Research Forum 
Subject: Program Evaluation, gun violence 
14 pages
28,811 bytes

U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
Bureau of Justice Assistance

Bureau of Justice Assistance
Nancy E. Gist, Director

Bureau of Justice Assistance Bulletin

The BJA Firearms Trafficking Program: Demonstrating 
Effective Strategies To Control Violent Crime

by John Veen, Bureau of Justice Assistance
Stacie Dunbar, Melissa Reuland, and John Stedman,
Police Executive Research Forum

There is consensus throughout the United States
that violence involving firearms has reached
epidemic proportions. According to the 1994 Uniform
Crime Reports (UCR) compiled by the Federal Bureau
of Investigation (FBI), nearly one-third of violent
crimes in the United States are firearms related.
In 1994, 69.6 percent of UCR-reported murders were
firearms related. 

In 1994, the Chicago Police Department recovered more 
than 22,300 firearms used in crimes. That same year, 
the New York City Police Department (NYPD) recovered 
more than 13,000 firearms, including 6 automatic 
weapons, and the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan 
Police Department recovered 5,886 firearms, of which 
2,596 (or 44.1 percent) were used in crimes. 

Each year, thousands of firearms are stolen from 
private citizens, firearms dealers, firearms 
manufacturers, and interstate shipments. As of July 
1994, the National Crime Information Center database 
has listed more than 2,234,000 stolen firearms. Stolen 
and illegally obtained firearms are recovered from a
wide variety of sources--violent crime scenes,
narcotics traffickers, and even from children at
schools.


Traffickers play a significant role in making
illegal firearms available to those with criminal
intent. Firearms trafficking has become a very
profitable venture for individuals willing to
assume the risk of criminal prosecution in exchange
for monetary (or some other) reward. While firearms
are most frequently trafficked within State
borders, interstate trafficking is also common
along certain corridors. In these cases, firearms
traffickers travel to States with lax firearms laws
and purchase weapons. They then return to their
State of residence and sell, trade, or distribute
the firearms to criminal associates for as much as
five to six times their original price. Trafficking
is also practiced by unscrupulous firearms dealers
who knowingly sell firearms to prohibited
purchasers, drug dealers, nonresidents, and straw
purchasers (individuals who purchase firearms for
other individuals who cannot legally possess them).

Although it is difficult to develop a definition of
firearms trafficking that encompasses all possible
circumstances, firearms trafficking is broadly
defined as the acquisition of firearms for the
purpose of making them available to criminals or to
other people who reside in areas where State and
local laws limit the availability of firearms.
 
Why BJA Created This Program

The Firearms Trafficking Program was created by the
Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) in fiscal year
1993 to address the firearms trafficking problem in
the United States. The program is designed to help
State and local governments reduce incidents of
violent crime by reducing the availability and
illegal trafficking of firearms.
 
The program currently provides funding support for
nine demonstration projects and the Interstate
Firearms Trafficking Compact, which are described
in this BJA Bulletin. 

Program Components
 
The Firearms Trafficking Program contains four
components found by BJA to be effective or
promising:

o Firearms Licensee Compliance Program.

o Firearms Investigative Task Force Program.

o Innovative Firearms Program.

o Interstate Firearms Trafficking Compact.

Program Goals

The goals of the Firearms Trafficking Program are
to:

o Enhance the ability of State and local law
enforcement agencies to conduct more comprehensive
background investigations of applicants for new or
renewal Federal Firearms Licenses (FFLs) and ensure
that individuals who obtain FFLs have a legitimate
reason for doing so. 

o Identify, target, investigate, and prosecute 
individuals and dismantle organizations involved in 
the unlawful use, sale, or acquisition of firearms 
in violation of State and Federal laws. 

o Reduce the level of firearms-related violent crime 
in the demonstration sites. 

Firearms Licensee Compliance Programs in Oakland and 
New York City

Firearms licensee compliance programs enhance the
ability of State and local law enforcement agencies
to conduct more comprehensive background
investigations of applicants for new or renewal
FFLs. Initiatives in Oakland, California, and New
York City are discussed below.

Oakland Police Department, Oakland, California. The
use of firearms in violent crime has increased
steadily in Oakland since the early 1990s. For
example, the number of firearms used in aggravated
assaults increased from 39.8 percent in 1992 to
44.3 percent in 1993, and the number of firearms
used in homicides increased from 60 percent in 1982
to 80 percent by 1992. In response, the Oakland
Police Department (OPD) joined with the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) to enhance the
ability of OPD to conduct more complete and
comprehensive background investigations on
applicants for new or renewal FFLs and to ensure
dealer compliance with local, State, and Federal
law. In addition, OPD initiated a firearms
trafficking program to reduce the number of
illegally purchased firearms and to track and
reduce the number of illicit dealers. The program
is operated by the weapons unit and is staffed by
one sergeant, two officers, and one clerk.

After a joint review of all local, State, and
Federal laws and rules pertaining to the operations
of firearms dealers, the city of Oakland began
requiring all holders of FFLs to apply for a local
police permit. As part of this application process,
the firearms dealer is screened to ensure that all
proper permits and licenses have been obtained.
 
In addition, OPD completes a background check of
applicants to rule out prior criminal record,
ethical breaches, or history of mental illness.
Onsite inspections are also conducted in
conjunction with a representative from ATF to
ensure that the building in which the dealer
operates meets the security requirements.

Moreover, OPD created and maintains a database to
identify purchasers in multiple firearms sales.
This database contains information on dealer
reports of sales, purchaser information, data from
the BulletProof ballistics computer program, and
tracing information. The database is analyzed to
determine if individuals are operating as
independent dealers and highlights dealers who may
be conducting questionable sales.

OPD's licensee compliance program has achieved
success in several areas. The unit has reduced the
number of firearms licensees from 57 to 7 in the
past 2 years. In addition, the unit completed more
than 3,000 firearms traces and developed informants
and leads that have resulted in the investigation
of more than 28 straw purchasers and the arrest and
prosecution of 5 straw sales and purchasers.

New York City Police Department, New York City, New
York. Under the Federal Firearms License Compliance
Program, compliance inspectors from ATF work
closely with two officers from the New York City
Police Department, forming a task force that
investigates and ensures that new and renewal FFL
applications comply with local licensing laws.

Prior to this initiative, only 29 of 950 FFLs in
New York City were in compliance with local laws.
Because many firearms in circulation in the city
are supplied by dealers not in compliance with
local laws, this project was designed to provide
information about the requirement to comply with
local laws and to discourage applicants from
pursuing FFLs.

New York City's firearms compliance investigations
are initiated when ATF receives an application for
a new or renewal FFL. A copy of the application is
forwarded to NYPD. After a background check of the
applicant's criminal history, mental health, and
whether he or she has been issued or has applied
for local licenses, the applicant is contacted and
informed of local requirements for firearms
dealers. 

If an applicant does not meet the local licensing
requirements and refuses to withdraw the
application, the task force meets with the
individual to further explain the city's licensing
requirements. If the applicant still wishes to
proceed, the compliance inspector closes out the
case based on noncompliance with local law. Renewal
applicants are given 30 days to comply with local
licensing requirements before applications are
denied. In certain cases, unannounced inspections
are conducted by the task force to determine
whether licenses should be renewed. 

The task force has been effective in discouraging
unqualified applicants and reducing the total
number of FFLs in New York City. In 1991, there
were 952 FFLs. By 1996, that number had been
reduced to 259.

Firearms Investigative Task Force Programs in
Indiana, North Carolina, Virginia, and West
Virginia

Firearms investigative task force programs are
designed to identify, target, investigate, and
prosecute individuals and dismantle organizations
involved in the unlawful use, sale, or acquisition
of firearms in violation of Federal or State
firearms laws. Programs in Gary, Indiana; Raleigh,
North Carolina; Richmond, Virginia; and South
Charleston, West Virginia, are discussed below.

Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, Indianapolis, 
Indiana. Violent crime in Gary, Indiana, is
increasing at an alarming rate. In 1995, Gary had
one of the highest per capita murder rates in the
United States. Although rates of arrest and
conviction have kept pace with the rise in crime,
budgetary constraints have inhibited the ability of
police to make further progress. The city's Violent
Crime Task Force (VCTF) was funded in June 1994
through a grant to the Indiana Criminal Justice
Institute. VCTF combines the resources of local and
Federal law enforcement agencies to target,
investigate, and prosecute individuals committing
violent crimes with firearms in and around Gary.
The task force comprises police officers from the
Gary, Hammond, Portage, and Lake County police
departments in northwest Indiana and ATF special
agents assigned to the Merrillville, Indiana, field
office. 

VCTF has two main objectives. The first is
to cut off the flow of firearms to individuals and
organizations with criminal intent by targeting the
multiple purchasers who supply them. VCTF
investigators use data from ATF's Project Lead to
identify these potential traffickers and suppliers.
The second objective is to identify the five
highest crime areas in Gary and target for
investigation and prosecution the individuals
responsible for a disproportionate amount of
violent crime in those neighborhoods.
 
To measure its success, VCTF monitors the number of
weapons seized, investigations opened, and targets
arrested on an ongoing basis. Since the grant
began, 130 firearms have been seized, 98
investigations have been initiated, and 44 arrests
have been made. At the end of the grant, the task
force will also track the number of targets
convicted and their length of incarceration. 

North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, 
Raleigh, North Carolina. The goal of the North
Carolina Violent Career Criminal Task Force (VCCTF)
is to develop a model program targeting violent,
predatory criminals and weapons traffickers for
arrest and prosecution that can be duplicated in
other States. The task force targets groups of
violent offenders as well as individual criminals
and uses a proactive strategy that brings together
intelligence from Federal and local law enforcement
authorities to identify active offenders. As often
as possible, these targets are charged under
Federal statutes and incarcerated in Federal
prisons. 

The program marshals the resources of six
separate task forces operating within North
Carolina's three Federal judicial districts. Ten
North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation
agents, including four criminal analysts, are
assigned to VCCTF. These agents rely upon the joint
efforts of State and local law enforcement agencies
and ATF, as well as prosecutorial authorities in
all three U.S. Attorney's offices in North Carolina
to conduct investigations and take violent
offenders off the streets.
 
The main objectives of the program are to improve
the targeting, investigating, arresting, and
convicting of violent felons; improve the ability
of law enforcement agencies to engage in proactive
investigations; develop better methods of gathering
and using investigative information; develop better
methods of targeting those supplying weapons to
criminals; develop ways of targeting the worst
offenders in areas where local police departments
are starting community policing; disseminate
information and invite other agencies to observe
the VCCTF program; and continue to update the VCCTF
best practices manual so that other agencies have a
guide for replicating the program.

The VCCTF has investigated 905 targets since 1994.
Of those targets, 23 are under review to determine
if they meet the qualifications for serious violent
criminals, 192 are under investigation, 22 are
pending arrest, 74 are awaiting prosecution, 368
have been arrested and prosecuted, 26 are pending
sentencing, 134 have had their cases closed, and 66
have been rejected. 

Virginia Department of State Police, Richmond, 
Virginia. A Firearms Investigative Task Force
(FITF) was created in Richmond in response to
evidence that Virginia had become the primary
source of guns used in crimes committed in New York
City and Washington, D.C., and in response to the
growing concern about violent and drug-related
crime in Virginia. Composed of five Virginia State
Police officers, a support services specialist, and
two ATF agents, FITF focuses on individuals
involved in interstate firearms trafficking,
individuals prohibited by law from purchasing and
possessing firearms, and individuals involved in
the straw purchase of firearms.

FITF's goal is to identify, investigate, and
prosecute members of firearms trafficking
enterprises and to stop those operations by
improving Federal and State interagency
coordination. The objectives of the task force are
to identify individuals, organizations, and other
sources of licensed and unlicensed firearms who
facilitate the unlawful use of firearms; target,
investigate, and prosecute individuals engaged in
interstate firearms trafficking activities and
related crimes; and develop and exchange
information relating to the unlawful acquisition,
interstate trafficking, and use of firearms in
violent or criminal activity. 

Since the program's creation in 1993, FITF has
investigated 1,215 firearms violations, made 431
arrests, obtained 129 convictions (with many still
pending in Federal court), seized 397 firearms,
coordinated 333 firearms traces, provided
assistance to the Virginia Department of State
Police and to other State and local agencies, and
gathered valuable intelligence on interstate and
intrastate illegal firearms violations.

West Virginia State Police, South Charleston, West
Virginia. In South Charleston, the West Virginia
State Police formed the Firearms Violations Task
Force (FVTF) in response to a significant rise in
violent crime and illegal firearms trafficking in
West Virginia. FVTF comprises personnel from ATF
teamed with full-time investigators from the Bureau
of Criminal Investigations (BCI), which is the
investigation division of the West Virginia State
Police. The mission of the task force is to
eliminate firearms trafficking and firearms-related
violent crime to the greatest extent possible,
given the resources available. 

FVTF collects, analyzes, and disseminates criminal
intelligence information relating to firearms
violations in West Virginia and other jurisdictions
and investigates, prosecutes, and incarcerates
individuals who traffic illegally in firearms and
who commit violent crimes with firearms. In
addition, the task force scrutinizes Federal
firearms licenses for illegal activity and educates
licensees regarding the illegal sale or purchase of
firearms. 

From April 1994 through June 1996, FVTF made 
44 arrests for firearms-related offenses and
obtained the conviction of 23 individuals, 10 of
whom were sentenced for their crimes. In many
cases, prior to the creation of the task force,
these offenders likely would not have been
prosecuted due to staffing shortages, ignorance 
of the Federal statutes, and a variety of other
factors. 

Innovative Firearms Programs in Santa Ana, Chicago, 
and New Orleans

Innovative firearms programs are designed to help
State and local jurisdictions develop and implement
innovative strategies to control illicit firearms
trafficking. Promising programs in Santa Ana,
California, Chicago, Illinois, and New Orleans,
Louisiana, are described in this section.

City of Santa Ana Police Department, Santa Ana,
California. The Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD)
initiated the city's firearms trafficking program
to reduce the number of illegitimate FFLs in Santa
Ana, ensure that those who do obtain or retain
licenses have a legitimate reason for doing so, and
reduce the level of firearms-related violent crime
in the city. Four personnel, two from SAPD and two
from ATF, were assigned to the program.

The objectives of the program are to decrease the
availability of firearms to criminals, trace the
source of firearms taken from criminals, interdict
firearms traffickers both within and outside the
city and county limits, reduce the number of
illegal FFLs, inspect FFL locations, and revoke
FFLs not in compliance with the law.
 
To achieve these objectives, program staff analyze
data on firearms used in felony assaults,
investigate multiple handgun purchasers, and
contact noncompliant FFLs to examine records and
demand compliance with city, State, and Federal
regulations. In addition, to assist in these
activities, project staff have developed a computer
program to store and retrieve firearms data
gathered during firearms investigations. The
investigations of suspected firearms traffickers
involve contacting and working with agencies
outside the county and State where trafficking to
or from Santa Ana is known, identifying straw
purchasers, and developing contacts with
informants.

From January through September 1996, the program
resulted in 18 arrests for trafficking, 10
convictions, 25 weapons seized, and 23 weapons
covertly purchased from illegal traffickers. The
team is also responsible for disposing of firearms
seized by the police department. Of the 1,285
weapons seized, 66 were held as evidence, 91 were
returned to their owners, 284 were traced to
determine their source, 451 were destroyed, and 393
were referred to the Drugfire program, a firearms
identification program operated by the FBI.

Illinois State Police, Chicago, Illinois. In 
1996, the Illinois State Police developed a
multijurisdictional firearms trafficking task force
to address the illegal sale, possession, and use of
firearms and the homicides, random shootings, and
violence that offenders perpetrate through the use
of these weapons. Members of the task force were
selected from the ATF Chicago field office and
include an officer and an analyst from the Illinois
State Police, two officers from the Cook County
Sheriff's Department, and a prosecutor from the
Illinois Attorney General's office.
 
The goals of the program are to reduce the number
of illegitimate FFLs and the amount of firearms-
related violent crime in northeast Illinois. The
program involves monitoring the number of FFLs and
FFL applications to ensure that those obtaining
licenses meet the legal requirements, conducting
background investigations on both initial FFL
applications and renewals, targeting 50 offenders
who have violated local firearms programs
regulations, seeking Federal prosecution when
Federal violations are identified, identifying
individuals making straw purchases, and targeting
suppliers who illegally transport firearms both
into and among counties in northeast Illinois. 

The following strategies are being employed by the 
task force: undercover purchases of firearms from
street-level offenders and dealers to identify
violators; investigations of individuals who either
bypass the checks built into the Firearm Owners
Identification (FOID) screening process or
illegally obtain an FOID card or a revoked FOID
card; and review of gun store and dealer records to
uncover individuals who appear to be making straw
purchases. 

The program's results are not yet available. It 
is anticipated that task force efforts will 
reduce the number of FFLs and illegal firearms 
dealers, reduce the flow of firearms into
and out of the area, seize more firearms, and
reduce the level of firearm-related crime in
targeted communities of northeast Illinois. 

New Orleans Police Department, New Orleans, 
Louisiana. The New Orleans Gun Trafficking Task 
Force was created to reduce the incidence of 
firearms-related crime in the New Orleans 
metropolitan area. The project is designed to 
reduce the availability of guns used in violent 
crimes, implement strategies to better scrutinize 
and ensure compliance with FFL regulations, develop 
an illegal-firearms-source tracking capability, and 
coordinate with ATF to investigate sources of illicit 
guns used in crimes. The task force is composed of 
two detectives from the New Orleans Police Department 
who work with two ATF agents.

To accomplish these goals, several strategies have
been implemented. They include developing a
technology-based intelligence system to model the
availability of guns in New Orleans; targeting
high-probability noncompliant licensees and illegal
gun source targets; responding to trafficking and
firearms-related violence using the SARA (survey,
analyze, respond, and assess) problem-oriented
policing approach; and assessing, using a baseline
survey, a model to track changes in gun
availability within the region that will help the
task force more effectively target its initiatives.
Specific activities carried out by the task force
include tracing firearms, scrutinizing licensees,
educating the community, initiating undercover and
stop-and-frisk activities, and analyzing Project
Lead data.

From April through September 1996, the task force
confiscated 1,277 weapons and submitted
documentation to the ATF National Tracing Center.
For those weapons, 583 trace forms were returned to
task force detectives for followup--355 cases were
investigated and 228 are still under investigation.
As a result of the investigations, 22 subjects have
been charged with Federal firearms offenses and 9
have been charged with State offenses. 

Interstate Firearms Trafficking Compact

The Interstate Firearms Trafficking Compact
(Compact) is a BJA-funded "train-the-trainers"
program to provide training in 14 States and the
District of Columbia. The program curriculum was
developed jointly by Police Executive Research
Forum (PERF) staff, ATF Training Division and 
ATF National Tracing Center staff, Compact
representatives, and BJA program staff. 

Coordinated by PERF in concert with Compact 
representatives, the U.S. Attorney's office(s), and 
the ATF field offices in each participating State, 
the program provides police trainers with a 
curriculum to train local law enforcement officers 
about the benefits and techniques involved in 
conducting firearms traces. It also helps officers 
better understand and use Federal and State firearms 
laws and local ordinances as well as firearms 
investigative procedures. By implementing
these approaches, local law enforcement officers
will be better equipped to investigate and trace
firearms used in crimes and reduce and eliminate 
sources of illegal firearms.

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Related Publications and Videotapes
Publications

Illegal Firearms: Access and Use by Arrestee. 1997.
National Institute of Justice, Research in Brief.
Available from the National Criminal Justice
Reference Service (1-800-851-3420). 
Ask for NCJ 163496.

Presale Firearm Checks: A National Estimate. 1996.
Bureau of Justice Statistics. Available from the
National Criminal Justice Reference Service
(1-800-851-3420). Ask for NCJ 162787.

Reducing Gun Violence--What Communities Can Do.
1996. Available from the National Crime Prevention
Council, 1700 K Street NW., Second Floor,
Washington, DC 20006 (202-466-6272).

Under Fire: Gun Buy-Backs, Exchanges and Amnesty
Programs. 1996. Edited by Martha R. Plotkin.
Available from the Police Executive Research Forum
(202-466-7820). Product #805.

Gun Control: A Reference Handbook. 1995. Earl R.
Kruschke. Available from ABC-CLIO, Inc., P.O. Box
1911, Santa Barbara, CA 93116-1911 (805-968-1911).

Firearms and Violence. 1994. National Institute of
Justice, Research in Brief. Available from the
National Criminal Justice Reference Service
(1-800-851-3420). Ask for NCJ 145533.

Videotapes

Juvenile Gun Violence and Gun Markets in Boston.
1996. Presentation by David Kennedy. National
Institute of Justice, Research in Progress.
Available from the National Criminal Justice
Reference Service (1-800-851-3420). Ask for NCJ
160766. 

Monitoring the Illegal Firearms Market.
1995. Presentation by Scott H. Decker and Susan
Pennell. National Institute of Justice, Research in
Progress. Available from the National Criminal
Justice Reference Service (1-800-851-3420). Ask for
NCJ 153850. 

Reducing Gun Violence: Community Policing Against Gun 
Crime. 1995. Presentation by Lawrence W. Sherman. 
National Institute of Justice, Research in Progress. 
Available from the National Criminal Justice Reference 
Service (1-800-851-3420). Ask for NCJ 153730.

Youth Violence, Guns, and Illicit Drug Markets.
1994. Presentation by Alfred Blumstein. National
Institute of Justice, Research in Progress. Available 
from the National Criminal Justice Reference Service
(1-800-851-3420). Ask for NCJ 152235.

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For More Information

A variety of publications and materials on Federal,
State, and local programs to prevent and stop
illegal firearms trafficking are available from the
Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Police
Executive Research Forum. For more information,
contact these offices:

Police Executive Research Forum
1120 Connecticut Avenue NW.
Suite 930
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: 202-466-7820
Fax: 202-466-7826
World Wide Web: http://www.perf.org:1000

Bureau of Justice Assistance Clearinghouse
P.O. Box 6000
Rockville, MD 20849-6000
Tel: 1-800-688-4252
World Wide Web: http://www.ncjrs.org

Clearinghouse staff are available Monday through
Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. eastern time. Ask to be
placed on the BJA mailing list.

Department of Justice Response Center
1-800-421-6770 or 202-307-1480

Response Center staff are available Monday through
Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. eastern time.

------------------------------

This document was prepared by the Police Executive
Research Forum, under grant number 96-DD-BX-K-005,
awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office
of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.
The opinions, findings, and conclusions or
recommendations expressed in this document are
those of the authors and do not necessarily
represent the official position or policies of the
U.S. Department of Justice. The Bureau of Justice
Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice
Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice
Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention, and the Office for Victims of Crime.

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NCJ 166818
November 1997