More Gun Tracing Sought

The Clinton administration wants to bring more cities under a program that traces guns used by young criminals in light of a report that shows a third to half of such guns were passed on to them illegally after being purchased from licensed dealers by “straw” buyers.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms released an analysis Sunday of its Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative. The program traced guns used in 76,260 crimes in 27 cities, including Los Angeles, over the last three years.

President Clinton is asking Congress in his budget to pay for expanding the initiative to 10 more cities across the country.

The ATF found that 51% of the traced guns were purchased from licensed dealers by people acting as intermediaries for the real owners. The remainder came from private sellers not required to obtain identification or subject their customers to background checks.

In a statement, Clinton said the figures go a long way toward helping authorities find and punish those responsible for putting guns in the hands of the young.