Section 10. Reporting

A. A law-enforcement agency of the Commonwealth or of a political subdivision of the Commonwealth shall report information regarding firearms seized, forfeited, found, or otherwise coming into the law-enforcement agency's possession that are believed to have been used in the commission of a crime to the National Tracing Center of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Department of Justice.

B. A law-enforcement agency shall request, concurrent with reporting the information pursuant to subsection A of this section, a trace of the reported firearm from the National Tracing Center.

C. A law-enforcement agency shall make the report and request the trace required by subsections A and B of this section forthwith upon taking possession of the firearm. If making the report and request could jeopardize an ongoing criminal investigation, the law-enforcement agency shall make the report and request prior to the conclusion of the investigation.

D. To comply with subsections A and B of this section, a law-enforcement agency may report information or request a trace by:

1. Using eTrace, which is the paperless firearms trace submission system of the National Tracing Center (https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-tracing-center); or

2. Completing and submitting a National Tracing Center Trace Request form (ATF E-form 3312.1).

Historical Notes

Derived from Volume 33, Issue 06, eff. November 15, 2016.

Statutory Authority

§ 52-25.1 of the Code of Virginia.