Personnel

Special Agents	2,597
Industry Operations Investigators	862
Administrative/professional/technical	1,822
Total full-time employees	5,281

 

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 2023. 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	31,089
Arson cases initiated	2,291
Explosives cases initiated	1,012
Firearms cases recommended for prosecution	9,964
Indicted cases	6,592
Convicted cases	5,881

Defendants

Recommended for prosecution	15,646
Defendants indicted	9,717
Defendants convicted	7,917

The data show an average of 7.32 prior arrests and 2.16 prior convictions per defendant recommended for prosecution.

 

Firearms Licensees

As of FY 2023, there were 132,383 active federal firearms licensees (FFLs) and 42,819 firearms licenses issued (to include renewals).

Type 01: Dealer	50,309
Type 02: Pawnbroker	6,417
Type 03: Collector	50,805
Type 06: Manufacturer of Ammunition	2,086
Type 07: Manufacturer of Firearms	20,003
Type 08: Importer	1,851
Type 09: Dealer of Destructive Devices	147
Type 10: Manufacturer of Destructive Devices	476
Type 11: Importer of Destructive Devices	289

 

Inspections

ATF conducted 8,689 firearm compliance inspections in FY 2023.

Firearms compliance inspections resulted in the following recommendations:

No violations	4,644
Report of violations	1,531
Warning letter	667
Warning conference	166
License surrendered/out of business	1,343
Revocation	170
Other dispositions	168

 

Most Frequently Cited Violations 

27 CFR 478.125(e)	Failure to maintain an accurate/complete/timely acquisition and disposition record of firearms	39,877
27 CFR 478.21(a)	Failure to complete forms as prescribed	28,588
27 CFR 478.124(c)(1)	Failure to obtain a completed ATF F 4473	20,738
27 CFR 478.123(b)	Failure to maintain an accurate/complete/timely licensee disposition record	14,290
27 CFR 478.124(c)(3)(iv)	Failure to record NICS contact information on an ATF F 4473	12,074
27 CFR 478.124(c)(5)	Failure by transferor to sign and/or date an ATF F 4473	10,594
27 CFR 478.123(a)	Failure to maintain an accurate/complete/timely manufacture or acquisition record	8,210
27 CFR 478.124(c)(3)(i)	Failure to verify or record Identification document on ATF F 4473	6,864
27 CFR 478.124(c)(4)	Failure to record firearm information on an ATF F 4473	5,631
27 CFR 478.126a	Failure to report multiple sales or other dispositions of pistols and revolvers	5,408

 

Firearms Application Inspections

ATF conducted 9,328 firearms application inspections. Of those inspections, 6,769 were approved and 25 were denied. The remaining 2,534 application inspections were abandoned or withdrawn.

 

Explosives Licensees

As of FY 2023, there were 9,248 active federal explosives licenses and permits (FEL/FEPs).

Manufacturers	2,038
Importers	569
Dealers licenses (includes black powder)	827
Limited permits	41
User permits	5,773

 

Explosives Inspections

ATF conducted 823 explosives application inspections. Of those inspections, 651 were approved and 2 were denied. The remaining 170 application inspections were abandoned or withdrawn.

ATF conducted 2,957 explosive compliance inspections resulting in the following recommendations:

No violations	2,369
Report of violations	58
Warning letter	133
Warning conference	32
License surrendered/out of business	344
Revocation sought	7
Other dispositions	14

 

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)	1,212
27 CFR 555.210(a)(2)	Failure to meet minimum construction requirements of an outdoor type IV magazine	90
27 CFR 555.210(b)(2)	Failure to meet minimum construction requirements of an indoor type IV magazine	88
27 CFR 555.125(b)(3)(vi)	Failure to record the name, address and license/permit number of the person from whom explosive material(s) are received in the permanent record (User)	83
27 CFR 555.57(b)	Failure to timely report change of responsible person/employee possessor (within 30 days of change)	79
27 CFR 555.29	Unlawful storage of explosive materials	77
27 CFR 555.121(a)(1)	Failure to keep records pertaining to explosive materials in permanent form	69
27 CFR 555.63(d)	Failure to report change(s) in explosive magazine storage (after license/permit issuance)	61
27 CFR 555.205	Failure to keep explosives in locked magazines	52
27 CFR 555.214(b)	Failure to store explosive containers so that marks are visible for inspection	50

   

National Firearms Act (NFA)

NFA registration applications (and transfer applications)	1,061,195
NFA registrations processed (total weapons/count of forms)	1,069,787
NFA registrations processed (total weapons/count of weapons)	3,571,895
NFA making and transfer tax collected	$96,018,784.61
NFA special occupation tax collected	$10,131,788.76

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 645,771 trace requests in FY 2023.
 

Certified Fire Investigators

ATF’s Certified Fire Investigators (CFIs) are subject matter experts specializing in investigating violent crimes of arson and origin and cause determinations. As such, they provide support for fire and arson investigations throughout the entire United States, its territories, and other countries. During FY 2023, CFIs conducted over 2,500 fire scene exams and provided field training to over 6,000 state and local investigators.

 

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	661,681
NIBIN leads	221,360
NIBIN hits	4,755
NIBIN locations	315

 

Laboratories

In FY 2023, ATF’s laboratories accomplished the following:

ATF laboratory requests for analysis and testing	1,660
ATF laboratory completed analysis requests	1,438
DNA submissions from fired cartridge cases	269
DNA submissions from fired cartridge cases yielding results	157
Fire Research Laboratory engineering cases	204
Fire Research Laboratory research experiments	462
Fire Research Laboratory case test experiments	354
Fire Research Laboratory forensic cases analyzed	18
Fire Research Laboratory fire research activities	186

 

Budget

The agency’s FY 2023 enacted budget was approximately $1.6 billion.