Graphical Highlights

Federal Criminal Prosecution of Weapon Offenses, FY 1986 to FY 2012
By Lead Charge, Program, and Lead Investigative Agency

President Fiscal Year Number of Federal Prosecutions Filed
Lead Charge Program Agency
18 USC 922 18 USC 922, 924;
26 USC 5861
Weapons ATF
Reagan 1986 752 1,374 * 2,131
1987 900 1,484 * 2,192
1988 1,415 2,079 * 2,676
Bush 1989 1,700 2,466 * 3,083
1990 2,191 3,199 * 4,045
1991 2,746 4,347 * 5,362
1992 3,011 4,934 6,629 6,187
Clinton 1993 2,994 4,603 5,900 5,627
1994 2,799 4,158 5,260 4,983
1995 2,745 4,051 5,035 5,160
1996 2,400 3,215 3,935 3,858
1997 2,520 3,236 3,789 3,619
1998 2,994 3,583 3,758 3,697
1999 3,652 4,371 4,948 4,282
2000 4,461 5,193 5,490 5,222
Bush 2001 4,939 5,703 6,507 6,019
2002 6,424 7,289 7,948 7,463
2003 8,293 9,532 10,432 9,699
2004 8,539 9,899 11,015 10,468
2005 8,066 9,422 10,219 10,715
2006 7,502 8,615 9,652 10,164
2007 7,394 8,383 8,919 10,065
2008 7,138 7,936 8,484 9,882
Obama 2009 6,894 7,703 8,188 9,655
2010 6,536 7,237 7,614 9,368
2011 6,483 7,164 7,465 8,861
2012 6,780 7,520 7,774 9,027

* The DOJ program which tracks weapons prosecutions not yet established.