WASHINGTON | The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives recently released the Federal Firearm Licensee Theft/Loss Report for calendar year 2013.

The 2013 report includes a state-by-state breakdown and detailed accounting of the types of firearms reported lost or stolen by licensees.

On Jan. 16, 2013, President Barack Obama announced a plan to reduce gun violence in the United States.

This plan included 23 executive actions, one of which called on the Department of Justice to prepare a report analyzing information on lost and stolen guns and to make the report widely available to law enforcement. In response to the president's directive, the annual FFL Theft/Loss Report was created. This report gives a calendar year overview of the lost and stolen firearm reports submitted by licensees to ATF.

Licensees must report to ATF each missing, lost, or stolen firearm within 48 hours of discovery of the loss or theft by completing and forwarding a FFL Theft/Loss Report. In addition, the licensee must also report the firearm theft or loss to the appropriate local law enforcement agency. Once ATF receives a report from a licensee, the lost or stolen firearm(s) is entered into the Firearms Tracing System (FTS).

ATF's Office of Strategic Intelligence and Information queries the FTS to produce the annual FFL Theft/Loss Report. This year's report data includes firearms reported lost or stolen between the dates of Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2013. It should be noted that the high number in Kentucky and New York are a result of lost receivers/frames firearm types from internal audits conducted by FFL manufacturers in those states.

ATF is dedicated to reducing firearms trafficking and firearms-related violent crime, and the FTS and FFL Theft/Loss Report are important tools in this effort.

For more information or to view the 2013 FFL Theft/Loss Report, visit the ATF website at http://www.atf.gov/sites/default/files/assets/statistics/TheftLossReport/2013_summary_-_firearms_reported_lost_and_stolen.pdf

More information about the FTS and the National Tracing Center is available at http://www.atf.gov/content/firearms/firearms-enforcement/national-tracing-center.