Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Firearms Publications

ATF occasionally issues publications to inform the industries it regulates and the general public about the laws and regulations administered and enforced by ATF. These include guidebooks, newsletters, brochures, studies, and reports.

Document Type Title and Description
Report Firearms Trace Data: United States and Territories - 2019 - Source State Recoveries [XLSX - 26.2 KB]

Information from the 2019 Firearms Trace Data report. Data includes firearms sourced and recovered in the United States and territories.

Published/Revised:

Report Firearms Trace Data: United States and Territories - 2019 - Time-to-Crime - Firearms Sourced and Recovered [XLSX - 125.35 KB]

Information from the 2019 Firearms Trace Data report. Data includes firearms sourced and recovered in the United States and territories, sorted by time-to-crime.

Published/Revised:

Report Firearms Trace Data: United States and Territories - 2019 - FFL Theft/Loss Reports Matching Firearms Subsequently Recovered and Traced [XLSX - 12.09 KB]

This report provides detailed firearms trace data to assist law enforcement with criminal investigations. It includes statistics from Jan. 1 - Dec. 31, 2019.

Published/Revised:

Report Firearms Trace Data: Nevada - 2019 [PDF - 784.98 KB]

This report provides detailed firearms trace data to assist law enforcement with criminal investigations. It includes statistics from Jan. 1 - Dec. 31, 2019.

Published/Revised:

Newsletter Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) Newsletter Index - July 2020 [PDF - 177.32 KB]

Index for the Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) newsletters. Last updated July 2020.

Published/Revised:

Report Firearms Trace Data: Mexico - 2019 [PDF - 1003.73 KB]

This report provides detailed firearms trace data to assist law enforcement with criminal investigations. It includes statistics from Jan. 1 - Dec. 31, 2019, on firearms recovered and traced, firearm types, calibers, source states, time-to-crime rates, possessor age, top recovery locations and more.

Published/Revised:

Report Firearms Trace Data: Central America - 2019 [PDF - 969.64 KB]

This report provides detailed firearms trace data to assist law enforcement with criminal investigations. It includes statistics from Jan. 1 - Dec. 31, 2019, on firearms recovered and traced, firearm types, calibers, source states, time-to-crime rates, possessor age, top recovery locations and more.

Published/Revised:

Report Firearms Trace Data: The Caribbean - 2019 [PDF - 972.98 KB]

This report provides detailed firearms trace data to assist law enforcement with criminal investigations. It includes statistics from Jan. 1 - Dec. 31, 2019, on firearms recovered and traced, firearm types, calibers, source states, time-to-crime rates, possessor age, top recovery locations and more.

Published/Revised:

Regulatory Final Rule - Background Checks for Responsible Persons of a Trust or Legal Entity With Respect to Making or Transferring a Firearm [PDF - 4.82 MB]

The Department of Justice is amending the regulations of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) regarding the making or transferring of a firearm under the National Firearms Act (NFA). This final rule defines the term "responsible person," as used in reference to a trust, partnership, association, company, or corporation; requires responsible persons of such trusts or legal entities to complete a specified form and to submit photographs and fingerprints when the trust or legal entity files an application to make an NFA firearm or is listed as the transferee on an application to transfer an NFA firearm; requires that a copy of all applications to make or transfer a firearm, and the specified form for responsible persons, as applicable, be forwarded to the chief law enforcement officer (CLEO) of the locality in which the applicant/transferee or responsible person is located; and eliminates the requirement for a certification signed by the CLEO. These provisions provide a public safety benefit as they ensure that responsible persons undergo background checks.

Published/Revised:

Report Firearms Trace Data: North Dakota - 2014 [PDF - 1.56 MB]

This report provides detailed firearms trace data to assist law enforcement with criminal investigations. It includes statistics from Jan. 1 - Dec. 31, 2014, on firearms recovered and traced, firearm types, calibers, source states, time-to-crime rates, possessor age, top recovery locations and more. 

Published/Revised:

Regulatory ATF Industry Circular 77-20: Duplication of Serial Numbers on Imported Firearms [PDF - 360.49 KB]

Importers of Firearms and Destructive Devices: Recently, ATF has noted cases where some importers have adopted the same serial number for more than one firearm. These instances of duplication have generally occurred when firearms are received from more than one source.

Published/Revised:

Regulatory 2020 - April - Public Advisory - Business Premises Guidance [PDF - 271.68 KB]

Letter to all federal firearms licensees (FFLs) in response to questions from industry members regarding the legality of firearm sales and deliveries exterior to the brick-and-mortar structure at which the firearms business is licensed, in light of the March 13, 2020, declaration of a national emergency concerning the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and the Department of Homeland Security's subsequent classification of firearms businesses as essential.

Published/Revised:

Last Updated: December 2, 2025

ATF.gov

An official website of the U.S. Department of Justice

Looking for U.S. government information and services?
Visit USA.gov