Fast Facts
ATF's Crime Gun Intelligence Centers (CGICs) serve as intelligence hubs and coordination centers for tribal, local, state and federal responses to mass shootings and other major crimes involving firearms.
CGICs are an interagency collaboration between ATF, partner law enforcement agencies, forensics labs, academic institutions and prosecutors committed to stopping gun crimes.
ATF’s NIBIN and eTrace systems are two primary tools that CGICs use to identify violent shooters and their sources of crime guns.
ATF launched its CGICs in July 2016 as interagency collaborations designed to collect, analyze and distribute intelligence data about crime guns, mass shootings, and major incidents across multiple jurisdictions. CGICs provide investigative leads and support to crime gun intelligence initiatives across the United States and beyond.
The Numbers
193,000+
NIBIN leads were generated by 418 NIBIN locations in fiscal year (FY) 2025.
654,000+
trace requests for crime guns submitted to the National Tracing Center in FY 2025.
CGICs use vital tools such as ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) to support their mission. NIBIN compares ballistic evidence cross-jurisdictionally between crime scenes, connecting shootings and recovered firearms. These connections, also called NIBIN “leads,” help law enforcement identify shooters more quickly, and disrupt shooting cycles.
ATF CGICs take a preventive approach to violent crime by targeting and prosecuting the sources of crime guns. ATF’s key tool in this effort is eTrace, a secure, web-based law enforcement network run by ATF’s National Tracing Center (NTC). Participating CGIC law enforcement agencies conduct comprehensive tracing of all recovered crime guns which, when successful, identify the first retail purchaser of the firearm. Investigators use this data to uncover patterns of firearms trafficking, identify illegal and “straw” firearm purchasers, and develop leads to disrupt the use of firearms in violent crimes.
CGICs are staffed by ATF special agents and industry operations investigators, other law enforcement agencies, forensics experts, and intelligence specialists focused on stopping violent gun crimes. These close partnerships allow CGICs to provide actionable intelligence that is specific to local communities, resulting in more communication, investigative leads, and prosecutions.
Combating Violent Crime
CGICs are strategically located across the nation to analyze criminal intelligence and support inter-agency responses to violent crime. CGICs disrupt the shooting cycle by developing actionable leads that investigators use to assist local, state, and federal investigations
