Want to Disrupt Illegal Gun Trafficking?

Focus on Networks, Not Headlines

Post by guest contributor: Carlos A. Canino

I spent over three decades at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), including leading offices in Los Angeles and Miami, serving as the ATF Attaché in Mexico, and eventually as a Deputy Assistant Director at headquarters. I’ve sat across from straw purchasers, traffickers, and cartel operatives. I’ve debriefed shooters. And I’ve consoled the families of those caught in the crossfire.

What I’ve learned is this: we don’t disrupt gun violence with slogans. We stop it by disrupting the people and supply chains responsible for putting illegal firearms into the hands of violent offenders. That means focusing less on optics - and more on outcomes.

Gun trafficking isn’t theoretical. It’s tactical. And it’s preventable - if we’re willing to think like investigators and act like coalition builders.

Here are ten actions political leaders across the spectrum can take today to reduce the flow of illegal guns and make communities safer:

1. Go After Traffickers, Not Lawful Owners
The real threat is organized trafficking networks—not the gun enthusiast with a safe full of legally acquired firearms. Precision matters.

2. Mandate Participation in NIBIN and eTrace
These are the DNA and fingerprints of modern gun crime investigations. Yet many agencies still don’t use them. That’s unacceptable.

3. Prosecute Straw Purchasers Aggressively
Most trafficked guns start with a legal sale to a willing proxy buyer. If you don’t stop that person, you’re letting the chain begin.

4. Fund Crime Gun Intelligence Centers (CGICs)
These centers work. They unify local police, federal agents, analysts, and prosecutors. We need them in every high-violence region.

5. Break Down Silos Between Analysts, Detectives, and Prosecutors
Information that doesn’t move doesn't matter. Funding should be tied to coordination and follow-through.

6. Support Multistate Trafficking Task Forces
Guns move across state lines. Our enforcement should too. Regional task forces must be funded and empowered.

7. Partner With Law Enforcement—Don’t Alienate Them
The cops on the beat are not the enemy. They’re a vital part of the solution when given tools, training, and accountability.

8. Embed Prosecutors in the Gun Intelligence Process
Solving shootings is step one. Getting convictions requires DAs who understand the case from the lead forward.

9. Back Smart Technology with Smart Policy
ShotSpotter, NIBIN, and trace systems save lives when used responsibly. Push for oversight, not abandonment.

10. Chase Results, Not Talking Points
If a new law or policy doesn’t get more crime guns off the street or solve more shootings, it’s time to reevaluate. Data, not politics, should lead.

I now work in the private sector helping agencies leverage gunshot detection and ballistic intelligence technology. I still believe in the mission—but I know we can’t win unless we align prevention, enforcement, and political will to disrupt the trafficking cycle.

The traffickers aren’t waiting. Neither should we.

Carlos A. Canino is the former Deputy Assistant Director of the ATF. He previously served as Special Agent in Charge of the Los Angeles and Miami Field Divisions, and as the ATF Attaché in Mexico.