WHEREAS, gun-related violent crime is one of this nation’s primary concerns, and the deaths of our citizens, especially our children, harms families, communities, society, and erodes the value and quality of life and depletes our precious human and economic resources; and

WHEREAS, firearms make it easier to commit violent crime, because a firearm reduces the need for the criminal to risk a physical confrontation with the victim. By reducing the supply of crime guns to convicted felons, violent criminals, gang members, and domestic and youthful offenders, it will reduce the overall violent crime rate as well as the armed violent crime rate; and

WHEREAS, law enforcement agencies across the country are becoming increasingly aware of the capabilities and potential of the ATF National Tracing Center’s crime gun trafficking information system, named project E-LEAD, and the strategic enforcement value of analyzing traces to find jurisdictional patterns, and are reaping investigative benefits from the firearms traces that they and others have been submitting; and

WHEREAS, raising an obliterated serial number from a crime gun is often possible and yields a wealth of information, because the ATF National Tracing Center indicates that the majority of firearms recovered with an obliterated serial number were illegally trafficked after being purchased in a multiple sale of firearms or after being stolen; now therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), duly assembled at its 105th annual conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, encourages all members to adopt or expand on three basic enforcement strategies that will not cost your agency any additional money or manpower, yet will have an impact on the reduction of violent crime; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that all law enforcement agencies be encouraged to trace all of the firearms that have been seized or confiscated including those with obliterated serial numbers; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that all law enforcement personnel ask suspects involved in violent, gun related and drug crimes, where the crime guns are coming from; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that all law enforcement agencies establish liaisons with the local ATF offices to receive the benefit of the intelligence information and investigative information provided by project E-LEAD, and that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, and the governor and legislative body of each state that is not yet tracing all recovered crime guns.