Critical Issues: Firearms Security, Training, and Investigations
Issue Overview
Gun safety, firearms training, and the investigation of gun crime is fundamental to the mission of protecting and serving the community and must be factored into each law enforcement agency’s overall policing strategy.
This page will serve as a clearinghouse of resources to help guide law enforcement as they tackle issues related to firearms security, training, and the investigation of gun crimes.
officer safety.
Messaging Worksheet
The following messaging worksheet breaks down the topic of gun safety, firearms training, and the investigation, and provides key talking points and facts to assist you in your daily communications about the subject. This worksheet is exclusively available to IACP members.
Resolutions
- Prohibition of Concealed Carry Weapons (CCW) on College and University Campuses (2012)
- Support of Law Enforcement Officers to Receive Tactical Firearms Training During the Police Academy (2012)
- Support for Firearms Offender Registries (2007)
- Security of Firearms (1998)
- Opposition to Federal Pre-Emption of Individual States Carrying of Concealed Weapons (CCW) Laws as They Apply to Active, Former, and /or Federal, State, and Local Law Enforcement Personnel (1996)
- Support for Federal Legislation Banning Junk Guns (1996)
Legislative Initiatives
- IACP Supports the Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act of 2016, S. 2544
- IACP Opposes Federal Pre-Emption of Individual States Carrying of Concealed Weapons Laws (S. 498/H.R. 402)
- IACP Supports Bulletproof Vest Program Reauthorization Legislation
- Testimony of Chief Yost Zakhary before the Senate Judiciary Hearing on the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program
Model Policies & Papers
- Firearms Model Policy (Updated 2007)
Additional Resources
Crime Gun Information Sharing: The ATF i-Trafficking Project Integration of Firearms Trace/Ballistic Data into Fusion Center Intelligence Sharing (2014)
The IACP, in partnership with DOJ U.S. Department of Justice and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) led and an assessment of the Interstate Trafficking Program (iTrafficking), to promote a regional approach to firearms trafficking investigations. By analyzing key fusion centers in the northeast region of the United States (New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland) to analyze crime gun data, the goal of this project was to develop an innovative, multi-state approach to reducing violent crime through shared resources and increased collaboration. The information contained in this report are useful in guiding fusion center personnel, as well as state, local, and tribal law enforcement, in the utility and examination of firearms trace data for intelligence products, criminal investigations, and prosecutions.
International Association of Chiefs of Police Firearms Position Paper (2018)
The IACP has long advocated for the adoption of common sense policies that will assist in reducing gun violence. These proposals were drawn from the association resolutions and policy positions adopted by the IACP membership.
This guide provides information about notable programs and policing strategies that can be implemented by law enforcement agencies, regardless of size, in order to enhance the critical and life-saving mission of reducing gun violence. By highlighting innovative approaches developed by law enforcement departments and communities across the country, local leaders are encouraged to expand upon their current efforts in order to create a comprehensive program to enhance community and officer safety.
Taking a Stand: Reducing Gun Violence in Our Communities (2007)
This report focuses on recommendations on three main areas: keeping communities safe by improving public understanding about the risks of gun violence; preventing and solving gun crime by stopping the flow of illegal guns, and keeping police officers safe by improving training and support for officers in handling guns.
Police Officer’s Guide to Recovered Firearms Mobile Application
The IACP, in collaboration with the Department of Justice (DOJ) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), the IACP Firearms Committee, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) developed a mobile application (app) designed to assist law enforcement officers with processing recovered firearms. The app has been downloaded over 25,000 times and features information on firearms safety, firearms marking identification tools, firearms tracing tools, and other valuable information.
