Which states require handgun sales records be sent to law enforcement?
11 states have adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Alabama has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Alaska has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Arizona has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Arkansas has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
California has adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Colorado has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Connecticut has adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Delaware has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Florida has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Georgia has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Hawaii has adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Idaho has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Illinois has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Indiana has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Iowa has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Kansas has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Kentucky has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Louisiana has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Maine has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Maryland has adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Massachusetts has adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Michigan has adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Minnesota has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Mississippi has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Missouri has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Montana has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Nebraska has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Nevada has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
New Hampshire has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
New Jersey has adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
New Mexico has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
New York has adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
North Carolina has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
North Dakota has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Ohio has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Oklahoma has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Oregon has adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Pennsylvania has adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Rhode Island has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
South Carolina has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
South Dakota has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Tennessee has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Texas has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Utah has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Vermont has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Virginia has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Washington has adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
West Virginia has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Wisconsin has not adopted this policy
Sales Records Sent to Law Enforcement
Wyoming has not adopted this policy
What It Does
Documentation of gun sales can be used to identify the owner of weapons recovered at a crime scene and to remove illegal guns when a person becomes prohibited. While the federal system is designed to avoid central record-keeping, these states require handgun sales data be sent to authorities, which keep thorough records. While some policies apply only to new purchases after a certain date, others record all handguns in a resident’s possession. Most of these laws also include some or all long gun sales. A full discussion on Repealing Restrictions on Gun Trace data is here.Â
The Impact
Officials in Washington State used the state’s gun sales database for millions of discrete checks each year. In California, state databases were essential for the removal of over 8,000 illegal firearms from 2017 to 2019 alone.
Source: Cal. Penal Code § 11106; Cal. Penal Code § 27560; Cal. Penal Code § 28255; Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 29-33(e), 29-37a(f); Haw. Rev. Stat. § 134-3; Md. Code Ann., Pub. Safety §§ 5-124(e), 5-143; Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 140, §§ 123, 128A, 128B, 129C, 131; Mich. Comp. Laws §§ 28.422(5), (6), 28.422a(2), (3); N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2C:58-3(h); N.Y. Penal Law §§ 400.00(5), 400.02; Or. Rev. Stat. §§ 166.435(3)(c), 166.412(7); 18 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 6111; Wash. Rev. Code §§ 9.41.110(9), 9.41.129.
WA: Cornfield J. (2016, December 18). Backlog in state’s gun-database hampers tracking of sales. Seattle Times. Retrieved January 19, 2022, from https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/backlog-in-states-gun-database-hampers-tracking-of-sales/.
CA: Agents seized a total of 2,130 firearms in 2019, 2,290 firearms in 2018, and 3,685 firearms in 2017. See California Department of Justice, Armed and Prohibited Persons Systems (APPS) 2019, Annual report to the legislature, available at https://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/publications/apps-2019.pdf; California Department of Justice, APPS 2018 Annual Report to the Legislature, Armed and Prohibited Persons System, available at https://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/publications/armed-prohib-person-system-2018.pdf; APPS 2017 Annual Report to the Legislature, Armed and Prohibited PErsons System, available at https://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/publications/armed-prohib-person-system-2017.pdf.
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