ATF

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
The ATF Takes a First Step Toward Reclassifying Bump Stocks

ATF

The ATF Takes a First Step Toward Reclassifying Bump Stocks

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives took what could be the first step toward reclassifying bump stocks on Thursday, posting a document that asks manufacturers and retailers how they would be affected if the devices were regulated as…

Ann Givens
ATF to Chicago: Your Release of Detailed Crime Gun Data Was Prohibited Under Federal Law

Chicago

ATF to Chicago: Your Release of Detailed Crime Gun Data Was Prohibited Under Federal Law

"Burying your head in the sand won't change the truth and it won't solve the problem," a mayoral spokesman responds.

Alex Yablon
ATF Official Who Evaluated the Bump Stock’s Legality Pushes Back Against Critics

ATF

ATF Official Who Evaluated the Bump Stock’s Legality Pushes Back Against Critics

When the first bump stock came across Rick Vasquez’s desk in 2010, he knew that his evaluation would take longer than usual. As the senior technical expert for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, it was Vasquez’s…

Ann Givens
ATF

ATF Traces Record Number of Crime Guns for Fourth Straight Year

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives traced more firearms in the past 12 months than in any year on record. The agency performed more than 400,000 gun traces from October of 2016 through the first three weeks…

Ann Givens
GOP Budget Rider Could Cripple Efforts to Keep U.S. Guns Out of Mexico

ATF

GOP Budget Rider Could Cripple Efforts to Keep U.S. Guns Out of Mexico

Republicans in the House are making another run at gutting an ATF rule requiring border-state dealers to report suspect rifle sales.

Alex Yablon
What Gun Regulations Should be “Repealed or Replaced”? The ATF Wants to Know.

ATF

What Gun Regulations Should be “Repealed or Replaced”? The ATF Wants to Know.

Posed in closed-door meetings, the agency's inquiry follows a Trump administration directive to slash government rules.

Ann Givens
ATF Upgrades Alert System for Gun-Store Thefts

ATF

ATF Upgrades Alert System for Gun-Store Thefts

The agency is now emailing dealers instead of just calling them.

Alex Yablon

Support journalism that shines a light on gun violence.

ATF

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

The ATF Takes a First Step Toward Reclassifying Bump Stocks

ATF to Chicago: Your Release of Detailed Crime Gun Data Was Prohibited Under Federal Law

ATF Official Who Evaluated the Bump Stock’s Legality Pushes Back Against Critics

ATF Traces Record Number of Crime Guns for Fourth Straight Year

GOP Budget Rider Could Cripple Efforts to Keep U.S. Guns Out of Mexico

What Gun Regulations Should be “Repealed or Replaced”? The ATF Wants to Know.

ATF Upgrades Alert System for Gun-Store Thefts