Personnel
Special Agents 2,586 Industry Operations Investigators 816 Administrative/professional/technical 1,697 Total full-time employees 5,099
Cases and Defendants
Case and defendant data presents a snapshot in time of matters proceeding through the various phases of the judicial process. The typical ATF case recommended for prosecution remains open over a period of approximately 4 years.
Cases and defendants indicted, convicted, and sentenced are not subsets of cases and defendants recommended for prosecution in FY 2022. The snapshot presents actual judicial activity in the fiscal year regardless of the year the matter was recommended for prosecution. For example, “percentage indicted” should not be calculated based upon the presented data, as the case indicted may have been presented in a previous fiscal year.
Cases
Firearms cases initiated 34,436 Arson cases initiated 2,242 Explosives cases initiated 1,194 Firearms cases recommended for prosecution 10,138 Indicted cases 6,315 Convicted cases 5,338
Defendants
Recommended for prosecution 15,583 Defendants indicted 9,287 Defendants convicted 7,293
The data show an average of 7.8 prior arrests and 2.16 prior convictions per defendant recommended for prosecution.
Firearms Licensees
As of FY22, there were 136,563 active federal firearms licensees (FFLs) and 43,494 firearms licenses issued (to include renewals).
Type 01: Dealer 52,910 Type 02: Pawnbroker 6,740 Type 03: Collector 52,814 Type 06: Manufacturer of Ammunition 2,212 Type 07: Manufacturer of Firearms 19,059 Type 08: Importer 1,886 Type 09: Dealer of Destructive Devices 154 Type 10: Manufacturer of Destructive Devices 482 Type 11: Importer of Destructive Devices 306
Inspections
ATF conducted 6,979 firearm compliance inspections in FY 2022.
Firearms compliance inspections resulted in the following recommendations:
No violations 3,806 Report of violations 1,247 Resolved as discontinued 1,037 Warning letter 606 Warning conference 131 Revocation 90 Other dispositions 62
Most Frequently Cited Violations
27 CFR 478.125(e) Failure to maintain an accurate/complete/timely acquisition and disposition record of firearms 33,526 27 CFR 478.21(a) Failure to complete forms as prescribed 22,320 27 CFR 478.124(c)(1) Failure to obtain a completed ATF F 4473 18,526 27 CFR 478.124(c)(5) Failure by transferor to sign and/or date an ATF F 4473 10,132 27 CFR 478.123(a) Failure to maintain an accurate/complete/timely manufacture or acquisition record 10,114 27 CFR 478.124(c)(3)(iv) Failure to record NICS contact information on an ATF F 4473 10,097 27 CFR 478.124(c)(3)(i) Failure to verify or record Identification document on ATF F 4473 5,913 27 CFR 478.123(b) Failure to maintain an accurate/complete/timely licensee disposition record 5,641 27 CFR 478.124(c)(4) Failure to record firearm information on an ATF F 4473 5,304 27 CFR 478.126a Failure to report multiple sales or other dispositions of pistols and revolvers 4,407
Firearms Application Inspections
ATF conducted 11,156 firearms application inspections. Of those inspections, 7,922 were approved and 18 were denied. The remaining 3,216 application inspections were abandoned or withdrawn.
Explosives Licensees
As of FY 2022, there were 9,461 active federal explosives licenses and permits (FEL/FEPs).
Manufacturers 2,088 Importers 594 Dealers licenses (includes black powder) 859 Limited permits 50 User permits 5,870
Explosives Inspections
ATF conducted 944 explosives application inspections. Of those inspections, 737 were approved and 3 were denied. The remaining 204 application inspections were abandoned or withdrawn.
ATF conducted 3,101 explosive compliance inspections resulting in the following recommendations:
No violations 2,470 Report of violations 44 Warning letter 158 Warning conference 23 Discontinued 386 Revocation 12 Resolved not revoked 8 Other dispositions 0
Top 10 Violations
27 CFR 555.127 Failure to timely/accurately enter all required explosive inventory identification and quantity information in a daily summary of magazine transaction (per magazine) 999 27 CFR 555.123(c)(2) Failure to record the (brand) name of manufacturer or name of importer of explosive material(s) in the permanent record (Manufacturer) 260 27 CFR 555.123(c)(3) Failure to record the marks of identification of explosive material(s) in the permanent record (Manufacturer) 260 27 CFR 555.206(a) Failure of high explosive outdoor magazines to meet minimum separation distances from specified areas identified within the table set forth under 555.218 79 27 CFR 555.129 Exportation 70 27 CFR 555.207(a)(8) Failure to meet minimum door construction requirements of a type I magazine 66 27 CFR 555.106(a) Unlawful distribution of explosive materials to a nonlicensee/nonpermittee 55 27 CFR 555.208(b)(2) Failure to meet minimum exterior construction requirements of an indoor type II magazine 55 27 CFR 555.125(b)(3)(iii) Failure to record the manufacturer’s mark of identification of explosive material(s) in the permanent record (User) 53 27 CFR 555.29 Unlawful storage of explosive materials 48
Imports and National Firearms Act (NFA)
NFA registration applications (and transfer applications) 764,814 NFA registrations processed (total weapons)/count of forms 709,508 NFA registrations processed (total weapons)/count of weapons 3,059,054 NFA making and transfer tax collected $91,462,604.64 NFA special occupation tax collected $9,569,698.25
Note: All taxes collected for NFA go to the general fund of the U.S. Treasury Department.
Tracing
ATF’s National Tracing Center (NTC) is the only organization authorized to trace U.S. and foreign manufactured firearms for local, state, federal and international law enforcement agencies. NTC provides critical information that helps domestic and international law enforcement agencies solve firearms crimes, detect firearms trafficking, and track the intrastate, interstate, and international movement of crime guns.
NTC processed more than 623,654 trace requests in FY 2022.
Certified Fire Investigators
ATF’s Certified Fire Investigators (CFIs) provide support for fire and arson investigations throughout the entire United States, its territories and other countries.
National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN)
NIBIN provides local, state and federal law enforcement, forensic science, and prosecutors with an automated ballistic imaging system that will aid their investigations by using digital images of shell casings to link violent crimes involving firearms and subsequently identify firearm users in violent crimes.
NIBIN acquisitions 631,533 NIBIN leads 189,197 NIBIN hits 5,913 NIBIN locations 278
Laboratories
In FY 2022, ATF’s laboratories accomplished the following:
ATF laboratory requests for analysis and testing 1,437 ATF laboratory completed analysis requests 1,209 DNA submissions from fired cartridge cases 17 DNA submissions from fired cartridge cases yielding results 11 Fire Research Laboratory engineering cases 8 Fire Research Laboratory research experiments 230 Fire Research Laboratory case test experiments 194 Fire Research Laboratory forensic cases analyzed 37 Fire Research Laboratory fire research activities 22
Budget
The agency’s FY 2022 enacted budget was approximately $1.5 billion.
