Wyoming, Omaha, Nebraska, Chicago, Illinois, and New York City. In New York City, for a period of six years, he was Chief, Enforcement and Assistant Regional Commissioner for New York and New England. For the past three years he has been Assistant Regional Director, Criminal Enforcement, Atlanta, Georgia.

STATEMENT

Mr. Chairman and members of the committee: I am John L. Piper, Assistant Regional Director, Criminal Enforcement, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Department of the Treasury, currently assigned to the southeast region, Atlanta, Georgia.

Our enforcement area covers the seven southeastern States of Georgia, North and South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee, with a district office in each of these States. We have a staffing of 420 special agents in these district offices, all of whom work under the regional office in Atlanta.

I have with me today two of these district office supervisors. Mr. Robert P. Lane, special agent in charge in Atlanta, Georgia and Mr. Durwood G. Russell, acting special agent in charge from Columbia, South Carolina.

To go immediately to the heart of the firearms problems in the south, we have 33,864 licensed dealers. Many of these dealers, both legally and illegally, are supplying firearms which end up in major cities in the north.

Mr. Russell is here to give you a complete picture of this gun traffic from South Carolina to various locations in the United States.

Mr. Lane will answer any questions you have concerning Project I in Atlanta, the firearms problem in Georgia and the interstate firearms theft project.

My exhibits include a breakdown on Project I in Atlanta and Miami, along with statistics on the work we have done in the firearms area.

BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, AND FIREARMS

Southeast Region

EXHIBITS

A-Federal firearms licenses, Southeast Region.
B-Explosives licenses, Southeast Region.

C-Manufacturers of firearms, Southeast Region.

D-Investigations of firearms licensees conducted in Southeast Region, investigations of explosives licensees conducted in Southeast Region.

E-Criminal enforcement activities-Southeast Region July 1, 1972 through July 1, 1975.

F-Criminal enforcement activities-Southeast Region-District offices July 1, 1972 through July 1, 1975.

G-Firearms and explosives violations, court action on criminal cases presented July 1, 1972 through July 1, 1975.

H-Interstate theft project-Southeast Region.
I-Project I-Miami, Florida.

EXHIBIT D.-CONDUCTED BY CRIMINAL ENFORCEMENT IN THE SOUTHEAST REGION

EXHIBIT E.-CRIMINAL ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES-SOUTHEAST REGION FOR PERIOD JULY 1, 1972 THROUGH

EXHIBIT F. CRIMINAL ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES-SOUTHEAST REGION FOR PERIOD JULY 1, 1972 THROUGH

EXHIBIT G.-Firearms and explosives violations, court action on criminal cases presented, period covered July 1, 1972 through July 1, 1975

1 Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and Federal Bureau of Investigation, investigations: over $700,000 in thefts involved during a 2-yr period.

52-557-764

EXHIBIT I.-Project I, Miami, Fla.

Total handguns received..

632

Number of handguns traced_.

436

Number of Saturday night specials

304

Number of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms criminal investigations initiated as a result of Project I_

531

Number of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms criminal cases recommended for prosecution

11

Number of persons arrested 1.

150

1 This figure also includes local arrests.

STATEMENT OF DURWOOD G. RUSSELL, ACTING SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE, BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, AND FIREARMS, COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA DISTRICT OFFICE, SOUTHEAST REGION

BIOGRAPHY

Mr. Russell was born in Farmville, North Carolina on November 13, 1926. On March 16, 1962, Mr. Russell was employed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms as a Special Investigator assigned to the Richmond, Virginia post of duty.

In 1969, he was promoted to the position of Criminal Enforcement Analyst assigned to the Philadelphia Mid-Atlantic Regional Office.

On March 5, 1971, Mr. Russell was promoted to the position of Area Supervisor for the Baltimore area. In this capacity, he was responsible for the criminal enforcement activities of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms in the States of Maryland and Deleware, and the Bureau's participation in the Organized Crime Strike Force in the Baltimore area.

On June 23, 1973, Mr. Russell was promoted to the position of Criminal Enforcement Coordinator in the Planning and Procedures Division, ATF Bureau Headquarters, Washington, D.C.

On July 21, 1974, Mr. Russell was promoted to the position of Assistant Special Agent in charge of the Columbia, South Carolina District Office.

On April 8, 1975, he was designated Acting Special Agent in charge of the Columbia, South Carolina District Office due to the pending retirement of the Special Agent in charge of that State. He is currently serving in this capacity.

STATEMENT

Mr. chairman and members of the committee: I am the Acting Special Agent in charge of the Columbia, South Carolina District Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, U.S. Department of the Treasury. In this capacity, I am responsible for all matters under the jurisdiction of criminal enforcement of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms in the State of South Carolina.

As evidenced by ATF Project I (Identification), the State of South Carolina is one of the leading illicit suppliers of handguns, cheap handguns to northern States.

As an example, the New York City Police Department requested the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms to trace approximately 1,970 handguns they had received, recovered, or seized for any criminal activity during a six month period. Of the 1,970 handguns traced, the major source of these guns into New York City were the following six (6) States:

This survey also revealed that of the firearms traced, over 60% were of the variety commonly known as Saturday night specials.

At the present time there are approximately 3,448 firearms licensed dealers in the State of South Carolina. During the year 1974, approximately 200 fire

arms licensed dealers either went out of business, changed ownership, or did not renew their firearms license. Thus far in 1975, the number of dealers gone out of business is approximately seventeen (17).

Prior to the passage of the new State firearms law by the 1975 South Carolina General Assembly, South Carolina basically had no gun law at all, and the ones in force were not or could not be enforced.

When the Gun Control Act of 1968 came into being, a South Carolina State law already existed requiring a dealer in handguns to purchase a State handgun license, however, this law was not enforced. This was evident during the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms' contact with the various dealers throughout the State. In many instances, even the persons responsible for the sale of the license did not know of the existence of such a law.

On June 22, 1973, a law was approved in effect that no licensed dealer shall sell any pistol or other handgun which has a die-cast frame or receiver which melts at a temperature of less than eight hundred degrees fahrenheit. This law was unenforceable as it was necessary to test each and every firearm suspected of not meeting this criteria. In addition, the manufacturers of cheap handguns could overcome this law by adding a small amount of higher quality alloy to the frame or receiver of the gun, thereby raising the melting point of the firearm in excess of the 800 degrees fahrenheit level set by State law.

Since the above law could not be, or was not enforced by the State, South Carolina remained virtually with no gun law at all until the 1975 legislature passed a gun control law.

On June 17, 1975, South Carolina Govern James B. Edwards signed a law that prohibits the sale of more than one pistol to any one person in a period of 30 days and limits purchases of pistols to residents of the State of South Carolina. This new legislation also empowers law enforcement officials to inspect the premises of licensed dealers for illegal handguns, without warrants. Violators of this new law face fines of as much as $2,000.00 and jail terms up to two years.

There is no doubt that these laws were passed by the South Carolina State Legislature following widespread national publicity (60 minutes) that cited South Carolina as a chief source of handguns used by criminals elsewhere in the United States, including New York City.

The legislation finally passed by the General Assembly was much weaker than the proposals made by Governor Edwards and the State's Attorney General Daniel McLeod. They had asked for a ten-day waiting period between an application to purchase a handgun and the date of purchase. This, they held, would have allowed the State law enforcement division (SLED) to determine the fitness of applicants to own handguns, and might provide for a cooling-off period for persons intent on committing crimes of passion.

It should be noted here that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Special Agent in Charge, Louis F. Fisher, assisted the South Carolina Attorney General Daniel McLeod in drafting the new South Carolina State Gun Control Law, even though all of its provisions were not passed into law. In addition, Special Agent in Charge, Mr. Fisher, and the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Columbia, South Carolina District Office, appeared, upon the request of the State's Attorney General, at the committee hearing at the State capitol wherein the proposed laws were discussed.

During the period, 1973, South Carolina Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Special Agents perfected 77 criminal cases involving firearms violations. During 1974, the number was 105 cases and thus far in 1975, 86 cases have been perfected involving firearms violations.

Also, during 1973, South Carolina Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Special Agents perfected 2 criminal cases against firearms dealers. During 1974, 7 like cases were perfected, and thus far in 1975, 9 criminal cases against firearms dealers have been perfected for prosecution.

As a rule in perfecting firearms cases, we have found new cases involving a conspiracy between the dealer (s) or purchaser(s). The primary method of operation varies in degrees, however. In most cases an out-of-State purchaser presents temporary identification such as a South Carolina voter registration (often obtained the same day) or a South Caroilna driver's license, also often obtained in one day.