ST. LOUIS – A report from USA TODAY identifies more than 1,300 outlets nationwide that sold at least 25 guns traced to crimes in a single year, including more than 20 St. Louis-area gun shops.

USA Today’s Nick Penzenstalder revealed these findings in February. The report cited data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) after USA Today filed a Freedom of Information Act request.

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According to USA Today, the ATF listed hundreds of outlets nationwide that were involved in sales of guns later “traced to crimes in a year with a time-to-crime of less than three years.” This short period of time, per law enforcement that spoke with USA Today, is often an indicator of the illegal trafficking of guns.

Locally, that list included 12 stores with a zip code in St. Louis County, five with a zip code in St. Charles County, three with a zip code in the City of St. Louis, two with a zip code in Jefferson County, and two with a zip code in the Metro East.

Large retailers, like Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s, appeared on the list in many states and regions, including Greater St. Louis. Shops on the list must submit quarterly reports to the ATF detailing secondhand gun sales, which the agency otherwise doesn’t track.

According to USA Today, ATF records do not specify how the guns sold were used. They also don’t indicate any wrongdoing individually on behalf of the listed gun shops.

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The ATF is responsible for tracing crime guns, a process that includes collecting information on the make, model, and serial number. ATF officials analyze records to find the chain from manufacturer to first retail sale, a process intended to help local law enforcement agencies solve crimes.

The public can access ATF trace data reports for all 50 states online. The latest one for Missouri, which accounts for the 2022 calendar year, notes that more than 10,000 firearms were recovered and traced to Missouri that year. That total includes more than 8,400 pistols traced to the state and more than 3,200 firearms traced to St. Louis, the most of any city in the state.

Missouri does not have any specific regulations pertaining to firearms retailers as far as sales are concerned. However, the ATF says anyone in the state who intends “to engage in a business involving the dealing, manufacturing, or importing of firearms, or manufacturing or importing ammunition” is required to have a federal firearms license.

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