ATF

I Asked the ATF for Crime Gun Data. A Court Says the Agency Has to Finally Hand It Over.

ATF

I Asked the ATF for Crime Gun Data. A Court Says the Agency Has to Finally Hand It Over.

The ruling rejects arguments the federal government has used to habitually block the release of figures tracing crime weapons to their prior owners.

Alain Stephens
Potential Gun Trafficking Hubs Revealed in ATF Data

ATF

Potential Gun Trafficking Hubs Revealed in ATF Data

A new Trace analysis shows states with the highest share of crime guns purchased within 12 months.

Tom Kutsch
The Biggest Gun Heist You Haven’t Heard About

ATF

The Biggest Gun Heist You Haven’t Heard About

A West Virginia man pleaded guilty to stealing thousands of guns and firearms parts right under the nose of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. In a little-noticed plea agreement submitted April 24, Christopher Lee Yates, 52,…

Alex Yablon
The ATF’s Highest-Ranking Official Will Retire

ATF

The ATF’s Highest-Ranking Official Will Retire

Thomas Brandon, who has led the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives since 2015, will retire, the bureau confirmed on Wednesday. Brandon will step down on April 30. “Deputy Director Brandon has faithfully served ATF for 30 years, starting…

Alex Yablon
Major Bump Stock Seller Surrenders 60,000 Devices to ATF

ATF

Major Bump Stock Seller Surrenders 60,000 Devices to ATF

Hours before a federal rule banning the possession of bump stocks came into effect on Tuesday, Texas-based gun accessory retailer RW Arms announced it was voluntarily turning over its entire inventory of 60,000 unsold devices to the Bureau of…

Alex Yablon
Accused ATF Gun Thief Turns Himself In

ATF

Accused ATF Gun Thief Turns Himself In

The former contract security guard accused of stealing a “substantial” number of guns and gun parts from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives quietly turned himself in to authorities the day after he skipped his initial…

Alex Yablon
Alleged ATF Gun Thief Is on the Lam

ATF

Alleged ATF Gun Thief Is on the Lam

A longtime security guard is accused of stealing a “substantial” number of weapons — including a rare, fully-automatic rifle — from a government facility in West Virginia. This week, he skipped court.

Alex Yablon
ATF Heist Exposes Vulnerabilities in System for Firearm Disposal

ATF

ATF Heist Exposes Vulnerabilities in System for Firearm Disposal

A federal contractor stole an untold number of guns from a West Virginia facility. At least one of the weapons had been marked as destroyed.

Alex Yablon
The White House Wants the ATF to Give Up Booze and Cigarettes

ATF

The White House Wants the ATF to Give Up Booze and Cigarettes

The Trump administration’s 2020 budget would force the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to give up its longtime work regulating alcohol and tobacco. The proposal would transfer regulatory duties relating to alcohol and tobacco from the ATF…

Alex Yablon
ATF’s Push to Solve More Gun Crimes Is Stymied by Local Police, Report Finds

ATF

ATF’s Push to Solve More Gun Crimes Is Stymied by Local Police, Report Finds

A push by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to improve gun crime investigations has been hindered by local police departments that fail to trace guns or to promptly enter shell casings into a national ballistics…

Ann Givens
ATF Documents Show How Traffickers Exploit Lax Sellers and Weak Laws

ATF

ATF Documents Show How Traffickers Exploit Lax Sellers and Weak Laws

Smugglers who run weapons across the southern border are loyal customers.

Alex Yablon
In Big Reversal, Supporters of Regulating Bump Stocks Now Outnumber Opponents 3 to 1 in Comments to ATF

ATF

In Big Reversal, Supporters of Regulating Bump Stocks Now Outnumber Opponents 3 to 1 in Comments to ATF

One expert characterized the findings of The Trace's analysis as “more evidence that gun regulation advocates are closing the participation gap.”

Daniel Nass
The ATF Received 36,000 Comments on Bump Stocks. They’re Overwhelmingly Anti-Regulation.

ATF

The ATF Received 36,000 Comments on Bump Stocks. They’re Overwhelmingly Anti-Regulation.

In the week following the Las Vegas massacre on October 1, polls showed that nearly 75 percent of registered voters in gun-owning households supported a ban on bump stocks. Yet despite the public sentiment, an analysis by The…

Daniel Nass and Sean Campbell
Ballistics Imaging Helped Phoenix Police Solve 9 Fatal Shootings. Why Don’t More Departments Make Better Use of It?

ATF

Ballistics Imaging Helped Phoenix Police Solve 9 Fatal Shootings. Why Don’t More Departments Make Better Use of It?

Within about 48 hours of arresting Cleophus Cooksey, Jr. for a double murder on December 17, Phoenix police used ballistic evidence to tie the 35-year-old man to seven additional killings. The technology that police used to make the…

Ann Givens
Gun Store Thefts Rise Again in 2017, Breaking ATF Record

Missing Pieces

Gun Store Thefts Rise Again in 2017, Breaking ATF Record

Burglars stole a record number of firearms from gun stores and other licensed firearms dealers in 2017, according to federal statistics released on Tuesday, extending an upward trend that has spurred calls for new legislation on Capitol Hill. Burglars…

Brian Freskos

ATF

I Asked the ATF for Crime Gun Data. A Court Says the Agency Has to Finally Hand It Over.

Potential Gun Trafficking Hubs Revealed in ATF Data

The Biggest Gun Heist You Haven’t Heard About

The ATF’s Highest-Ranking Official Will Retire

Major Bump Stock Seller Surrenders 60,000 Devices to ATF

Accused ATF Gun Thief Turns Himself In

Alleged ATF Gun Thief Is on the Lam

ATF Heist Exposes Vulnerabilities in System for Firearm Disposal

The White House Wants the ATF to Give Up Booze and Cigarettes

ATF’s Push to Solve More Gun Crimes Is Stymied by Local Police, Report Finds

ATF Documents Show How Traffickers Exploit Lax Sellers and Weak Laws

In Big Reversal, Supporters of Regulating Bump Stocks Now Outnumber Opponents 3 to 1 in Comments to ATF

The ATF Received 36,000 Comments on Bump Stocks. They’re Overwhelmingly Anti-Regulation.

Ballistics Imaging Helped Phoenix Police Solve 9 Fatal Shootings. Why Don’t More Departments Make Better Use of It?

Gun Store Thefts Rise Again in 2017, Breaking ATF Record