NCJ Number
177285
Date Published
1999
Length
462 pages
Annotation
This report presents findings from the analysis of crime gun traces from 27 communities; it discusses the number and types of crime guns recovered; the number of crime guns that can be associated with particular age groups; whether the crime guns are mainly from inside or outside the State; the top source States; and the kinds of guns used.
Abstract
The analysis also focuses on the types of crimes associated with firearms that police officials recover, the number of gun traces resulting in the identification of a first seller or buyer, and how quickly the most frequently traced crime guns moved from first retail sale by a federally licensed firearms dealer to law enforcement recovery. Guns recovered from juveniles ages 17 and under accounted for 11.3 percent of the crime guns submitted to the National Tracing Center. Crime guns recovered from youths ages 18-24 years accounted for 32.4 percent of all trace requests. A total of 8.1 of every 10 crime guns traced were handguns. Revolvers made up 27.6 percent of total crime gun trace requests. The State in which the reporting community was located generally was the largest single source of traced crime guns. However, the obliteration of firearm serial numbers is now a measurable and significant problem. Figures, tables, and appended technical notes