Bush used executive authority to implement a ban on the importation of most models of foreign-made semiautomatic assault rifles. Not all guns manufactured in the United States are destined for the U. Gun exports have followed trends similar to those of domestic manufacturing and imports, rising sharply during the mids and continuing through , the most recent year for which data are available.
As shown in Figure 5, there has been a shift in the type of guns being exported: Prior to , nearly 60 percent of exported firearms were revolvers and shotguns; however, from to , rifle and pistol exports grew to make up the largest share of exported guns, accounting for more than 75 percent of the total.
Data from the U. Census Bureau reveal the primary countries receiving exported firearms from the United States from through , the most recent years for which data are available. Canada is by far the biggest recipient of U.
In fact, Canada spends more money on the importation of U. In January , the Trump administration weakened oversight of small arms exports through a regulatory change that shifted export controls of semiautomatic pistols, assault-style firearms, certain sniper rifles, and their ammunition from the jurisdiction of the U.
Department of State to the U. Department of Commerce. The exponential increase in the size of the U. While there were close to 47, licensed gun dealers in , this figure rose to more than 55, by , an 18 percent increase. Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, Michigan, and California are home to the highest numbers of licensed gun dealers in terms of raw numbers, while Wyoming, Montana, Alaska, North Dakota, and South Dakota have the highest rates of gun dealers per , residents.
In contrast, if you only make occasional sales of firearms from your personal collection, you do not need to be licensed. Indeed, ATF is prohibited under current federal law from maintaining any type of comprehensive list of gun sales that would provide insight into the true breadth and scale of this industry. One of the proxy measures available to assess the number of gun sales in the country is the number of background checks conducted using the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
Background checks have increased significantly in recent years, suggesting a rise in gun sales. While, on average, 7. The current approach to regulatory oversight of nearly every aspect of the gun industry is deeply flawed. The authority and obligation to enforce federal laws and regulations pertaining to the gun industry is vested in ATF.
It is charged with enforcing federal criminal laws related to firearms, and ATF special agents work with their counterparts in other federal law enforcement agencies including the FBI, the U. They identify, investigate, and refer for prosecution individuals and groups who violate federal gun laws by illegally possessing firearms, committing violent gun crimes, and illegally trafficking firearms both domestically and internationally.
However, ATF is also a regulatory agency responsible for conducting oversight of the gun industry and ensuring that all licensed manufacturers, importers, and dealers comply with federal law. In this role, ATF issues licenses to new businesses and conducts inspections to ensure compliance with all applicable laws and regulations and to identify potential illegal gun trafficking activity. This personnel shortage has serious consequences for efforts to ensure robust oversight of this industry.
Under federal law, ATF is permitted to conduct one regulatory compliance inspection of each licensee per year, and ATF has set an internal goal of inspecting all gun dealers once every three years. In , ATF investigators conducted only 13, compliance inspections of firearms licensees, meaning that 83 percent of those licensed by ATF to manufacture or distribute guns did not receive an inspection that year.
While federal law allows no more than one permissive compliance inspection of federally licensed firearms dealers each year, it mandates that ATF conduct this type of inspection for each federally licensed explosives dealer once every three years. As a result of more frequent inspections, federal explosives licensees have far fewer violations than firearms licensees. In , ATF found that 80 percent of explosives licensees had no violations during their annual compliance inspection.
Compliance inspections are also a crucial tool for uncovering missing and stolen guns. ATF has become increasingly concerned with gun thefts from dealers, noting that burglaries of licensed gun dealers increased 48 percent from to and robberies increased percent during the same period.
In , there were 1,, guns initially determined to be missing from the inventory of gun dealers as a result of ATF compliance inspections. Following the inspection process, the vast majority of these guns were ultimately accounted for; however, 15, guns remained missing after the inspections were completed. Because federal authorities are prohibited by law from maintaining a database of gun sales, when a gun is recovered in connection with a crime and needs to be traced, ATF personnel must first contact the manufacturer to determine which wholesaler or dealer had the gun as part of its inventory, then contact those businesses to learn the identity of the first retail purchaser.
If the gun was subsequently sold in a secondary transaction through another licensed gun dealer, that information will only be uncovered through more detailed and time-consuming investigative efforts. If it was subsequently sold in a private transaction in a state that does not require background checks for private sales, there will be no record of that sale at all.
Nothing in the federal law or ATF regulations imposes an affirmative obligation on gun dealers to implement practices to prevent theft, such as storing guns in secure safes or using other locking mechanisms during nonbusiness hours, improving physical security of the premises, or installing a security system.
Indeed, the law does not even give ATF the authority to require that gun dealers lock their doors. Current federal law offers only limited options for ATF to take effective action against dealers who fail to comply with applicable laws and regulations or maintain control over their potentially dangerous inventory.
That is the full slate of options for ATF to address noncompliance with laws and regulations by licensed gun dealers unless it seeks recourse in the criminal justice system. As a matter of practice, ATF is failing to make effective use of these meager tools. In , out of the 2, violations found during compliance inspections, ATF recommended revoking a license in only By contrast, ATF has far greater authority over the explosives industry.
For instance, the DEA has far-reaching authority to suspend or revoke a registrant authorized to distribute narcotics for maintenance or detoxification treatment. In addition to restrictive language in the U. These records are subject to the elements since many of the containers leak, damaging some out-of-business records beyond legibility.
One rider bans ATF from requiring gun dealers to conduct an annual inventory reconciliation to ensure that guns have not been lost or stolen. This contributes to a glut of dealers, which makes it more difficult for ATF to effectively allocate its scarce regulatory resources. While the worst of these riders were later amended to minimize the impact on law enforcement investigations, a restriction remains that prevents the public dissemination of trace data other than in an aggregated annual report.
Curio and relic firearms occupy a unique place in the federal firearms licensing scheme. These are not merely antique guns that are locked away in display cases—modern Vietnam War-era military semiautomatic rifles still in military service, such as the SKS and Dragunov SVD, currently qualify as curios and relics.
Current federal law does not treat all types of firearms equally. For nearly 90 years, certain types of firearms and accessories have been deemed especially dangerous to public safety and are therefore subject to additional restrictions on their sale and possession.
In , in response to a deadly spike in organized crime, including marked increases in violence against police officers during Prohibition, the National Firearms Act was enacted. The division also serves as a resource for technical guidance to ATF offices throughout the nation. The NFA was enacted in by Congress to address the existential threat of unrestricted commerce in military-grade firearms that was fueling vicious gang wars.
One of the most significant functions ATF serves is to determine which firearms, destructive devices, and accessories fall into the classifications of weapons that require heightened regulation under the NFA, including registration in the NFRTR or prohibition of sale in a consumer market. The intent behind this regulatory process is to ensure firearms and firearm accessories that require additional regulation, as determined by federal law, are registered and taxed accordingly.
A recent example demonstrates the importance of this ATF regulatory function to protect public safety. One common determination ATF is asked to make relates to whether a new firearm design qualifies as a short-barreled shotgun or rifle, which are more stringently regulated under the NFA than regular shotguns and rifles.
The impetus for enhanced regulation and restrictions of short-barreled long guns is tied both to the ease with which these weapons are concealable and to the extent of damage these weapons are capable of inflicting when used to perpetrate a crime, given that they fire large-caliber ammunition capable of piercing the soft-body armor commonly worn by law enforcement officers. Despite the vital importance of ensuring that these dangerous weapons are not freely available in U.
Some in the gun enthusiast community responded with both surprise and delight at this apparent new workaround to the NFA. Mossberg has continued to exploit this NFA loophole, creating more Shockwave models that are essentially short-barreled shotguns without the NFA registration or tax requirements. The gun industry has also found another NFA dodge to create the functional equivalent of a short-barreled rifle that is not subject to heightened regulation or transfer tax: the pistol brace.
Pistol braces are common firearms accessories first produced in by manufacturers claiming the intent was to help wounded and disabled veterans shoot AR-style pistols easier and more safely, by enabling a user to only rely on one hand to control and stabilize the firearm when using the brace, rather than needing to use both hands.
ATF reviewed the Shockwave Blade AR pistol brace and determined that the brace would not turn a firearm into an NFA-classified firearm when used as a forearm brace and was therefore not subject to the requirements of the NFA. This decision led to a proliferation of pistol braces that received similar decision letters from ATF, indicating that the industry seized on the opportunity to innovate around the NFA using the reasoning provided by ATF in the Shockwave letter.
The open letter appears to have caused confusion among people who were purchasing pistol braces, with many questioning whether the use of a brace required formal licensing under the NFA. ATF issued another notice on December 11, , declaring that the FTISB will only review requests for determination of accessories under the NFA or Gun Control Act if the submission includes a firearm with the accessory attached as the user intended.
By asking manufacturers to send accessories already attached to firearms as they are purportedly intended to be used, ATF is abdicating itself of the responsibility to conduct thorough inspections to determine whether an accessory as designed could be used to turn a firearm into an NFA-categorized firearm.
This approach involves an inappropriate level of deference to the manufacturers of these weapons and accessories that allows the marketing of a product to determine its classification under federal law. In addition to grave problems surrounding the lack of regulation of corporate manufacturing of firearms, ammunition, and firearm accessories, there exists an entire segment of the firearms industry that operates with even less oversight than traditional manufacturers: homemade firearms, ammunition, and firearm accessories makers.
There is a robust online community of amateur gun-makers offering tips and tricks for making guns at home and selling kits to allow people to do so that often come very close to the line of what is legally permissible. Second, homemade guns and accessories are often made with parts that are not required to include a serial number, rendering the finished firearm untraceable if it is later used in a crime.
Under current federal law, gun manufacturers and importers are required to engrave a serial number on the frame or receiver of each firearm and gun dealers are required to conduct a background check before selling any firearm.
A robust segment of the gun industry has developed in recent years focused on manufacturing, marketing, and selling unfinished receivers. There is a vast array of online merchants selling kits for 80 percent receivers. For example, a report indicates that Mexican criminal organizations take advantage of trafficking in firearm parts to acquire guns, further complicating any efforts from security agencies on both sides of the border.
The dangers associated with ghost guns are not theoretical. In , a shooter opened fire in Santa Monica, California, shooting rounds, killing five people and injuring several others at a community college using a homemade AR rifle.
Law enforcement has grown increasingly concerned about the proliferation of ghost guns. In , District of Columbia police recovered ghost guns, a percent increase from , when they recovered 25 ghost guns, and a 3, percent increase from , when only three such firearms were recovered.
Advancements in 3D printing technology have created another option for people seeking to make untraceable guns from home. While 3D printing an entire firearm has been successfully completed and is cause for some concern, the more pressing concern is the capability of using 3D printers to create certain firearm components at home.
For example, the lower receiver of an AR in particular is essentially the part that makes a gun functional: It houses the fire control and trigger groups, the bolt catch, and the magazine release. To date, only two states, California and New Jersey, have enacted comprehensive laws to address the problem of homemade, untraceable firearms.
There is currently no federal oversight on the production of 3D printed firearms or sufficient reporting requirements to ensure that these guns are produced with the necessary metal materials to follow federal regulations. Ammunition is less regulated than firearms, without federally mandated background checks before purchase or transfer or requirements for documentation of sales of ammunition conducted by dealers.
The lack of oversight or any real ability to monitor the production of homemade ammunition makes it difficult to determine exactly what types of ammunition rounds are being produced. Gun enthusiasts often rely on similar online resources to obtain the materials needed to make cartridges at home, with access to videos and forums similar to those focused on homemade firearms, for personal use or to sell.
There are many dangers associated with homemade ammunition, including stockpiling, improper or unsafe storage of ammunition and components, unsafe manufacturing conditions, poor quality control, and potentially defective products. Silencers are accessories designed to muffle or disguise the sound of gunfire. The danger posed by silencers was evidenced by the mass shooting in Virginia Beach on May 31, In that case, the shooter used two pistols, one equipped with a silencer, to commit a mass shooting within a municipal building that killed 12 people, wounding four others.
Federal law requires a license from ATF to manufacture or sell silencers, and individuals seeking to buy them must first obtain approval from ATF, a process that can take many months because of a backlog in processing these applications.
Individuals are permitted under current federal law to manufacture their own silencer at home, as long as they do not offer it for sale and they register it with ATF. Nearly every industry involved in manufacturing and selling consumer products is subject to regulation by the federal government to ensure that products are safe for consumer use. Safety-focused regulation of consumer products helps ensure that defects or problems with products are addressed in a timely manner through actions such as consumer alerts and product recalls.
A range of federal agencies serve a consumer product safety regulatory function: Food items and prescription drugs are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and the Drug Enforcement Administration, motor vehicles are under the jurisdiction of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and recreational goods and household products are regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission CPSC.
There have been a number of high-profile incidents of design defects or manufacturing flaws of firearms leading to injury or risk of injury or death. This was not an isolated incident among gun manufacturers. In , a class action lawsuit was filed alleging defects in certain models of Taurus handguns. The manufacturer settled the lawsuit and offered gun owners a refund or the opportunity to replace specific models of pistols, which had been manufactured from through In , it was reported that a PT Millennium Pro pistol, among the guns available for a full refund, was used by a year-old man unaware of the problem with the firearm.
It was reported that the gun fired while holstered, shooting its owner in the leg and striking the femoral artery, causing him to bleed to death. From May 1, , through April 9, , the Remington series rifle was alleged to have a major defect reported by thousands of gun owners: The rifle reportedly fired without anyone pulling the trigger.
The lax approach to ensuring the safety of firearms sold to consumers stands in stark contrast to how potential safety hazards posed by other consumer products are treated. In August , L. Bean began selling a knife with a leather sheath. In April , the product was recalled after the company received three reports of the knife cutting through the leather sheath, causing minor cuts.
A replacement sheath was offered to all consumers who purchased the recalled product at no cost to the consumer and the company contacted all people known to have bought the recalled product to inform them of the problem.
The company recalled the product because of the risk of injury and offered a full refund. CPSC-regulated products may even be recalled because of the potential risk of injury to consumers before any actual injuries are reported. Fireworks are closely regulated by the CPSC to ensure they do not pose unique risks to consumers, including potential burn and injury hazards.
In , Miller Fireworks recalled a specific type of ball bullet rocket fireworks because they were overloaded—meaning that the explosive weight exceeded the allowable amount for consumer fireworks—which could result in the fireworks producing a larger explosion that could be a safety hazard. For example, Bath Petals recalled soy candles from the market and offered a full refund after one reported incident of a candle shattering the glass holder. The gravity of the error in packaging related to this recall included promises to consumers that the product would not return to production until both the manufacturer and the FDA felt certain the problem was corrected.
Ironically, the CPSC does have jurisdiction to ensure the safety of firearm storage devices, such as gun safes, as well as toy guns and air rifles. There have been a number of product recalls due to defects in gun accessories that create the risk of accidental discharge of a gun. You can not edit an auction once you have posted it; editing the auction would be altering the item people are bidding on. Classified ads can be edited if you want to ad more pictures change the description etc.
So now your gun is for sale. Typically you can expect to receive questions from prospective buyers about the condition or history of the gun. These messages will come to your GunsAmerica messaging inbox and you can reply through our website. If you check your GunsAmerica account, the message will always be there.
So now someone has bid or placed an offer on your gun. If a buyer searches for a gun on GunsAmerica, the first listings at the top of the page are always those posted by retailers in the buyer's locale. And since most buyers would rather deal face-to-face with a seller where the merchandise can be examined and shipping and transfer fees can be avoided, buyers will usually make the trip into the store to look at the gun.
So the seller not only avoids advertising fees if the gun is sold across the counter, but also has the opportunity to sell accessories or other items to the customer.
And, he may create a return buyer. Van Gilder says there is more to GunsAmerica than just listing guns for sale either in classifieds or on auction. He characterizes the site as a dealer service platform. For example, GunsAmerica will send an email for special buying occasions like Black Friday to all readers in a store's trade area.
Any dealer with a GunsAmerica account merely completes an online form providing information that is used to create an email customized for the store. And there is no charge to the dealer. She has been using GunsAmerica to sell guns since , more than 10 years, and also operates her own website, onlinegundeals. About 60 to 70 percent of sales are online while the remaining are transacted with walk-in customers at her main street retail location.
She says, "GunsAmerica has treated us very well and helped grow our business. Some people will drive an hour or more for a gun they see posted on GunsAmerica. Despite being located in a town with a population of less than 25,, with GunsAmerica, The Exchange is able to sell to a much larger customer base living in all parts of the country. That helps turn inventory and generates income a small store in a small town might never realize.
Besides selling guns online, Torino offers transfer service for locals who buy a gun online from a seller in another part of the country. He says, "We've been using GunsAmerica since and it has been good for our business.
It gives us another venue to sell niche items or guns that don't sell well in Rapid City. He sells a variety of guns online from SIG pistols to Dakota Arms rifles, and while he does post guns for auctions, most of his listings are fixed price classified items. He likes the fact that he doesn't pay for a listing on GunsAmerica until after the gun is sold. He cautions that the seller must know his market when venturing into online selling.
For example, he uses GunBroker to list auction guns because he thinks it gets more bidders than GunsAmerica. On the other hand, he uses GunsAmerica for classified advertising.
When he has a special foreign gun like a Belgium Browning, for example, he turns to Guns International because he believes it is frequented by more buyers for that type of gun. When asked how much time it takes to list guns online compared to making an in-store sale, the general consensus of sellers interviewed was that it is no more time consuming than selling a gun over the counter.
On average it takes about 15 minutes to do a posting.
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