Although much of the tracing work was low-key and routine, Miskiw was impressed by Mulcaire's ingenuity and obliging nature.
Among those is the German government, which pays nearly $20 million a year for the upkeep of the tracing service and its 320 employees.
"We have interpreted the decision in a way that there is no turning back," Reto Meister, the director of the tracing service, said.
As a byproduct of the tracing, the bureau discovered that just 1.2percentt of federally licensed firearms dealers, 1,020 of them, originally sold 57percentt of the guns used in crimes.
"In the lull after a conflict or flare-up, when people can travel again, then we can pass on messages," says Danielle Martin, another member of the tracing and messaging team.
"From a prevention standpoint, the good news is that the number of suspect dealers is very limited, so given A.T.F.'s resources, it can concentrate on these few," said Dr. Wintemute, who has helped analyze some of the tracing information.
