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The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives manages the National Tracing Center, which law enforcement officers can use for investigating the source of weapons made in the United States or overseas. ![]() The state agency’s firearms database isn’t the only available to law enforcement. #Gun database serial number serial numbersIt’s a tremendous tool for investigating the history and ownership of a gun, he said.Īnd in situations where officers recover a weapon that’s been stolen, they can check serial numbers in the database to find the legal owner but only if the information is current, he said. We wish it was up-to-date because we’ve got to have that information,” said Mitch Barker, executive director of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. “It is an essential need for law enforcement. Agency records show they tapped into it 691,193 times between July 1 and Sept. Law enforcement officers will check the database more than 2 million times this year alone. “We want our database to be accurate,” Benfield said. The database would be the place to find out but not if the record of the sale is stuck in the backlog, he explained. What concerns agency leaders about the backlog is the potential safety risk of a law enforcement officer not getting “a complete picture of what firearms (a person) may have purchased,” Benfield said.įor example, a person who is not supposed to possess a firearm could have bought one at some point in the recent past. ![]() In those instances, data must be entered manually, Benfield said. In its budget request, the department said it receives 240,000 records per year of firearm sales and licenses, 85 percent of which are submitted on paper. In 2012, handgun sales totaled 170,792 and agency staff managed to enter 66,528 into the system. Licensed firearm dealers sold 67,739 pistols in 2006 and all but 315 of the records got into the database, according to agency documents. It’s not been easy for the state agency to keep up with gun sales because the number of those keeps climbing. Agency officials say this specific information is current. #Gun database serial number licenseIt also inputs information on people obtaining or renewing a concealed pistol license and those who cannot legally possess a gun, either due to a court order or because they are deemed mentally unfit. In Washington, the Department of Licensing is tasked with collecting data from sales of handguns by licensed firearms dealers and getting those details into the database. “What we need to do is get caught up and make sure it is useful for the purpose outlined in law,” he said. If the department secures the money, the goal is to hire a vendor and erase the backlog by the end of 2017, said agency spokesman Brad Benfield. Jay Inslee included the sum in his proposed budget released Wednesday. They are seeking $382,000 in the next state budget to hire a private data entry firm to catch up. #Gun database serial number serial numberLast week, agency employees were inputting make, model, serial number and caliber of weapon on purchases made in 2014, as well as information on those who bought the guns.Īgency leaders predict the backlog, which stood at 106,000 records in November 2013, will reach 385,000 records by June 2017. The state Department of Licensing ended September with a backlog of 327,753 pistol transfers to enter into the database used daily by city, county, state and federal authorities for a variety of investigative purposes. OLYMPIA – A state firearms database relied upon by law enforcement officers lacks information on the sale of thousands of handguns in Washington in the past two years. ![]()
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