Legal > Records and Reports
Licensees must maintain records of all firearms receipts and dispositions, including the name, age, and place of residence of purchasers. 18 U.S.C. 922(b)(5) and 923(g)(1)(A). Licensed importers and manufacturers are required to identify firearms they import or manufacture by means of a serial number, which must be recorded in licensee records. 18 U.S.C. 923(i). Licensees are required to respond immediately to ATF firearms trace requests. 18 U.S.C. 923(g)(6). Reports of multiple sales of two or more handguns sold at one time or during any five consecutive business days are also required to be submitted to ATF. 18 U.S.C. 923(g)(3). Licensees who discontinue business must deliver their records to ATF. 18 U.S.C. 923(g)(4).
These requirements enable ATF to carry out one of the principal purposes of the GCA--to assist State, local, and foreign law enforcement officials in tracing firearms used in crime.
The United States government does not maintain records of licensees' firearms transactions, other than the previously mentioned out-of-business records, reports of multiple handgun sales, and records of firearms traces. The assimilation of the information from these records provides valuable leads in the identification of illegal gun traffickers and their sources of firearms in the United States.
Regulations at 22 C.F.R. 122.5 require that records of all transactions
authorized by export, temporary import, and temporary export licenses
must be maintained by the applicant for a period of 5 years. The records
must be made available to United States Customs officers upon demand.
These transactions are also computerized at the Department of State and
Customs ports.