NCJ Number
36153
Date Published
1976
Length
40 pages
Annotation
REPORT ON AN IN-DEPTH STUDY OF 300 RANDOMLY SELECTED HANDGUNS SUBMITTED TO THE BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, AND FIREARMS (ATF) FOR TRACING BY VARIOUS POLICE AGENCIES.
Abstract
THE STUDY WAS UNDERTAKEN TO DETERMINE HOW HANDGUNS ENTER CRIMINAL CHANNELS AND TO CHART THE LIFE HISTORY OF HANDGUNS FROM THE TIME THEY ARE MADE UNTIL THEIR SEIZURE OR ASSOCIATION WITH CRIME. THE STUDY SAMPLE WAS SELECTED FROM 11,810 HANDGUNS TRACED BY ATF BETWEEN OCTOBER 1974 AND JUNE 1975 AND REPRESENTED THOSE WHICH HAD BEEN SUCCESSFULLY TRACED TO A RETAIL DEALER, INDICATED INTERSTATE MOVEMENT, WERE INTRODUCED INTO COMMERCE BEGINNING IN 1972, AND WERE NOT KNOWN TO HAVE BEEN STOLEN. STUDY RESULTS INDICATE THAT 22 PERCENT OF THE HANDGUNS TRACED WERE STOLEN, 67 PERCENT OF THOSE ARRESTED WITH STOLEN HANDGUNS HAD A FELONY CONVICTION, 84 PERCENT OF THE SECOND OWNERS OBTAINED THEIR GUNS FROM FRIENDS OR RELATIVES, 66 PERCENT OF THE GUNS SEIZED WERE USED IN STREET CRIMES, AND THREE PERCENT OF THE TRACES REVEALED RETAIL DEALER VIOLATIONS OF THE GUN CONTROL ACT. ATTACHMENTS INCLUDE PROJECT 300 STUDY STATISTICS AND TRACE TRACKING CHART AS WELL AS THE PRESS ADVANCE DESCRIBING THE PROJECT.