Effects of Policies to Promote Firearm Dealer and Owner Accountability on Firearm Trafficking

Purpose: To assess the effects of regulation and oversight of gun dealers and regulation of private gun sales on gun trafficking. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, city-level study of gun trafficking with data from traces of crime guns recovered in 2000-2002 in 54 cities with comprehensive tracing practices. Trafficking was suspected if a gun had a retail-sale-to-crime interval < 1 year and the criminal possessor was not the legal purchaser. The degree of trafficking was indicated by the ratio of trafficked guns to guns police recovered more than three years after retail sale. We collected legal research to identify state firearm policies concerning the regulation of firearms dealers and of private sales. We also surveyed state law enforcement agencies and local agencies when state law required local licensing of dealers to measure their law compliance activities. Regression analyses controlled for proximity to population in states with weak gun sales regulations, new state residents, other gun laws, and gun ownership. Results: Regression analyses indicate that the combination of comprehensive dealer regulations with regular audits and regulation of private sales were associated with lower within-state trafficking. Although cities in states with comprehensive regulations over firearm dealers and private sellers had more firearms trafficked across state lines, they still had fewer overall trafficked firearms relative to other cities. Conclusions: Comprehensive regulations designed to deter trafficking and regular law compliance audits appear to stem the diversion of firearms to criminals.