eTrace (ATF)
Definition
ATF's electronic firearms trace system. Allows domestic and (via bilateral agreements and iARMS) international law enforcement agencies to submit serial-number trace requests for US-manufactured or US-imported firearms. ATF traces the chain of commerce from manufacturer through FFL to retail buyer using Bound Book and Form 4473 records.
- Operator
- US ATF
- Function
- Electronic firearms serial-number trace requests
- International link
- iARMS, via bilateral agreements
- Records used
- Bound Book and Form 4473
Common questions
What is the difference between eTrace and iARMS?+
eTrace is ATF's domestic system for tracing US-manufactured or US-imported firearms through the chain of commerce, while iARMS is the Interpol system used to route international trace requests to and from eTrace and other countries' systems.
What information does an eTrace result typically reveal?+
It can show the manufacturer, importer, the licensed dealer that sold the firearm, and where records allow, the original retail purchaser, letting investigators follow a recovered gun's path from production to the point it left legal commerce.
Can eTrace trace a firearm manufactured outside the United States?+
It can trace firearms imported into the US through licensed importers using their required records, but firearms never entering the US commercial chain fall outside what eTrace's US-based records can establish.
Related terms
- Arms Trade Treaty 2013 (ATT)
- The first legally binding global instrument governing the international trade in conventional arms. In force 24 December 2014; 113 state parties as...
- Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act 1993
- US federal statute establishing the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) administered by the FBI. Requires FFLs to conduct a NICS...
- DC V. Heller (2008)
- US Supreme Court decision (554 US 570) holding that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to keep and bear arms for...
- Firearms Act 1968 (UK)
- The primary UK statute governing firearms. Section 1 requires a Firearm Certificate (FAC) for most firearms; section 2 requires a Shotgun Certificate;...
- Gun Control Act 1968 (GCA)
- US federal statute establishing the Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) system for commercial sales, the Form 4473 record, and the prohibited-person categories under...
- INTERPOL iARMS
- INTERPOL's Illicit Arms Records and tracing Management System. Multilateral database enabling law enforcement in INTERPOL member countries to trace recovered or seized...
- National Firearms Act 1934 (NFA)
- US federal statute governing machine guns, short-barrelled rifles, suppressors, destructive devices, and other NFA items. Requires registration on the NFRTR and a...
- R V. Bentham (2005)
- House of Lords decision (2005 UKHL 18) holding that a component of a section 5 firearm must be a manufactured artefact. A...
- UN Programme of Action (UN POA 2001)
- Non-binding political commitment by UN member states to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons. Sets...