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A trace question for the FFLs on this board

WearyTraveler
Is there any way a licensee can run a ?trace? on a firearm? Not the check to see if it?s stolen. I?m talking about getting the firearm?s list of owners, just like the BATFE does when tracing...
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4 comments

Date Votes
  • nmyers
    I'm not an FFL, but the answer is "no & they can't".

    Tracing is done manually, which is why it is only done for the worst crimes. The tracing center in WV stores the original record from the manufacturer/importer, which shows the distributor/dealer who originally received the gun. After that, they visit subsequent dealers & owners, & state & local gun registration agencies, following the trail until they hit the latest owner or (more likely) a dead end.

    For former FFL's, the tracing center has records that were turned in. But, they are stored in file cabinets, & finding a specific transaction takes a lot of clerical time. ATF started scanning old records, but I suspect that they are nowhere complete.

    If you remember the DC Sniper case in 2002, Maryland State Police knocked on the door of all registered AR-15 owners, trying to find the weapon used. Eventually, the shooters were apprehended, & they found that the rifle used had been stolen from a Washington State gunshop. So, tracing in this case was possible only after the perps were caught & the crime gun had been seized.

    Neal

    "I drink wine & I know things." --- Tyrion Lanester
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  • mark christian
    On the national level, no, and for the exact reasons that Neal described. There is no automated tracing system; it is all done by hand and starts with a telephone call to the importer or manufacturer and then moves to the first dealer of record (the dealer who bought the gun from the importer or wholesaler). Depending on the severity of state firearms registration laws, such a trace might well be possible, but an FFL dealer could never initiate it.
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  • mogley98
    Interestingly I purchased a used mint Colt Cobra nickel plated from Gander Mountain at a great price (350).

    A few days later an officer called me and told me the gun I bought was stolen and I had to return it. Luckily Gander stood up and reimbursed me, I guess they didn't have to.

    The officer had caught the guy and gotten him to tell where he sold the guns and Gander let the officer access the files to call the buyers.

    Glad the original owners got their gun back and the perp was caught but I will always miss that gun!
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  • grdad45
    I gave up my FFL in 1994, mailed everything required it to ATF with receipt returned so I would have proof they got the package. Three months later I get a call wanting to know who I sold a particular pistol to. I replied that I had no idea who bought it, and they needed to open the box and find out for themselves. [}:)] Never heard from them again.
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