In 1999, more than 150,000 firearms were submitted by law enforcement agencies for tracing by the ATF, three times as many as in 1993. This growth in trace requests indicates the successes of ATF’s program in persuading state and local agencies of the strategic value of comprehensive firearms tracing. About four dozen cities now submit all firearms confiscated by the police for tracing, and the growing database of trace results has provided the raw material for improved intelligence on the channels by which guns are acquired by criminals. However, the proper interpretation and use of these data remains controversial.

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