Fact Sheet - National Tracing Center (2024)

FAQs

How many NICS denials are prosecuted? ›

Federal NICS checks resulted in about 112,000 denied transactions in fiscal year 2017, of which the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) referred about 12,700 to its field divisions for further investigation. U.S. Attorney's Offices (USAO) had prosecuted 12 of these cases as of June 2018.

eTrace is part of the broader ATF mission to catch violent offenders and criminal suppliers, and get their weapons off the street. ATF is constantly looking to leverage technology like eTrace to streamline the investigative process. eTrace is the primary investigatory tool of ATF's National Tracing Center (NTC).

They can be matched to a gun. So, if the cops recover a gun at a crime scene and bullets in a victim they can be linked. If the empty cases are found, they can most likely be matched to a gun. If the bullets are recovered intact, the striations from the barrel can be matched.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) National Tracing Center (NTC) is the United States' only crime gun tracing facility. NTC's mission is to conduct firearms tracing to provide investigative leads for federal, state, local and foreign law enforcement agencies.

The low prosecution rate is not due to false positives. According to a September 2017 audit of the National Instant Check System (NICS) conducted by the US Department of Justice's Office of the Inspector General, 99.8% of background check denials were accurate.

Prospective firearms buyers who receive a “Denied” status on their background checks may have a state or federal firearm prohibition. The denied individual may choose to pursue a challenge and/or apply to the Voluntary Appeal File.

This is not a public system. eTrace is only available to approved Federal, State and local law enforcement agencies. Information that is entered by approved Federal, State and local law enforcement agencies can be updated by that entity.

When do ATF inspections take place? Historically, most FFLs are inspected every 3–5 years, with the ATF prohibited by law from inspecting a firearms business more than once every 12 months (except in limited circ*mstances).

Unlike traditional firearms, ghost guns cannot be traced if recovered in crime and do not require a background check prior to being built or resold through a private transaction.

Do fingerprints stay on bullets? ›

The bullet, even if recovered from the body of the victim, would be incapable of being printed. Not much of a chance of recovering a usable print off casing either. The heat of the burning powder would likely damage any prints left as would the direct contact between the case and the chamber of the gun.

After unloading the magazine over a year later, I realized my fingerprints are “corroded” onto the metal of both the bullet and the case. Could last forever depending on the quality of the metal of the gun, the saline content of the person's skin, and the pressure applied.

Having the local police check the federal database continues to be the most accurate way to look up gun history by serial number to ascertain whether or not a used firearm is lost or stolen.

NTC receives the trace request and uses the gun's markings to identify its original manufacturer or importer. From those records, NTC is able trace the firearm through the wholesale and retail distribution chain to its first retail purchaser.

Hot Gunz offers a gun serial number search to determine if a gun is stolen. The site notes that they do not collect personal information or log your searches. As this information is user submitted, accuracy of course cannot be guaranteed.

If you're not a prohibited person, and your ATF Form 4473 has been denied, you have an option available. You can file an appeal called a “firearm-related challenge” through the FBI. This process will provide you with both the reason you were denied and give you an opportunity to challenge the validity of that denial.

Under federal law, the companies are required to use "reasonable procedures to assure maximum possible accuracy.” “The error rate is less than 10 percent,” said Montserrat Miller, an attorney who works for the National Association of Background Screening Professionals.

Just over 10 percent of all transactions were “delayed” meaning they were not immediately determined. iv And, over 99 percent of the delayed transactions are resolved with the vast majority being resolved during the first three business days.

In 2020, 5,445 people were arrested by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in the United States for weapon law violations. A further 597 people were arrested for drug or narcotic violations in that year.