Federal Authorities Report 68,000 Illegally Trafficked Guns Through Unlicensed Dealers in a 5-Year Period

New data released by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives shows that over 68,000 illegally trafficked firearms in the U.S. came through unlicensed dealers who are not required to perform background checks from 2017 to 2021.

This accounts for 54% of the illegally trafficked firearms in the U.S. during that time period, used in 368 shooting cases that are harder to investigate due to the lack of sales records kept by unlicensed dealers, according to ATF Director Steve Dettelbach.

The report, ordered by Attorney General Merrick Garland, is the first detailed analysis of firearm trafficking investigations in over 20 years, examining over 9,700 closed ATF firearm trafficking cases. It found that firearms trafficking involves moving guns into the illegal market for criminal purposes or possession.

Straw purchases, where someone buys a gun for a person who cannot legally purchase it themselves, were the second-highest share of firearm-trafficking cases investigated by ATF.

The report also revealed that almost 60% of recipients of trafficked firearms had previous felony convictions, and these guns were used in almost 25% of cases to commit further crimes, including over 260 murders and over 220 attempted murders.

ATF Director Dettelbach emphasized the responsibility of those who illegally traffic firearms for the violence that follows, highlighting the average number of guns trafficked per case and the impact of unlicensed dealers versus straw buyers.

The Biden administration has proposed a rule to require more gun sellers to obtain licenses and run background checks, aiming at sellers in the business of firearm sales while facing opposition from gun-rights groups who fear the impact on individuals selling their own guns.