The illegal trade in firearms, ammunition, explosives or other weapons, including their manufacture, sale, transfer or transport across borders in violation of national arms control laws or an international arms embargo. It is addressed internationally under the United Nations Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, supplementing the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, and by the Arms Trade Treaty of 2013, which regulates the international trade in conventional weapons. Illegally trafficked weapons are a documented contributor to armed conflict, organized crime and terrorism in numerous regions, and enforcement typically involves customs agencies working alongside specialized law enforcement units.
Facts
Notable ExampleLeonid Minin, arrested in Italy in 2000 and linked to arms trafficking to Sierra Leone's Revolutionary United Front 2 Jurisdiction VariationProsecution is difficult because of loopholes in national laws and because some dealers operate in countries where they cannot be extradited 2 Classification
Offense GradeSerious or Indictable Offense 1 Connections
Associated With
Illegal arms trafficking is a core ATF jurisdiction under this stated responsibility, including weapons tracing and dismantling trafficking networks.
Source Wikipedia: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
Sources
1. Weapons Trafficking (Wikipedia)
Wikipedialead paragraph, first sentenceQuote, lead paragraph, first sentence
Weapons trafficking or gunrunning is the illicit trade of contraband small arms, explosives, and ammunition, which constitutes part of a broad range of illegal activities often associated with transnational criminal organizations.
2. Weapons Trafficking (Wikipedia)
Regulation section, prosecution difficulty
Prosecuting arms traffickers and brokers has proven difficult due to loopholes in national laws
Regulation section, Leonid Minin
over 1,500 pages of forged end-user certificates
View the SourceWikipedia: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
Associated With: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Lead sectionQuote, Associated With: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Lead section
Its responsibilities include the investigation and prevention of federal offenses involving the unlawful use, manufacture, and possession of firearms and explosives
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