Fact Sheet - Facts and Figures for Fiscal Year 2021
Personnel
| Special Agents | 2,631 |
|---|---|
| Industry Operations Investigators | 790 |
| Administrative/professional/technical | 1,672 |
| Total full-time employees | 5,093 |
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 2021. 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 | 37,003 |
|---|---|
| Arson cases initiated | 2,075 |
| Explosives cases initiated | 984 |
| Cases recommended for prosecution | 11,224 |
| Indicted cases | 7,532 |
| Convicted cases | 5,967 |
Defendants
| Recommended for prosecution | 16,497 |
|---|---|
| Defendants indicted | 11,083 |
| Defendants convicted | 7,901 |
The data show an average of 8.22 prior arrests and 2.27 prior convictions per defendant recommended for prosecution.
Firearms Licensees
As of FY21, there were 136,846 active federal firearms licensees (FFLs).
| Type 01: Dealer | 53,893 |
|---|---|
| Type 02: Pawnbroker | 6,986 |
| Type 03: Collector | 53,379 |
| Type 06: Manufacturer of Ammunition | 2,252 |
| Type 07: Manufacturer of Firearms | 17,599 |
| Type 08: Importer | 1,804 |
| Type 09: Dealer of Destructive Devices | 151 |
| Type 10: Manufacturer of Destructive Devices | 489 |
| Type 11: Importer of Destructive Devices | 293 |
Inspections
ATF conducted 6,639 firearm compliance inspections in FY 2021.
Firearms compliance inspections resulted in the following recommendations:
| No violations | 4,232 |
|---|---|
| Report of violations | 985 |
| Discontinued | 789 |
| Warning letter | 454 |
| Warning conference | 149 |
| Revocations/Denials | 27 |
| Other dispositions | 3 |
Most Frequently Cited Violations
| 27 CFR 478.21(a) | Failure to complete forms as prescribed |
|---|---|
| 27 CFR 478.125(e) | Failure to maintain an accurate/complete/timely acquisition and disposition (A&D) record of firearms |
| 27 CFR 478.123(a) | Failure to maintain an accurate/complete/timely manufacture or acquisition record |
| 27 CFR 478.124(c)(1) | Failure to obtain a completed ATF F 4473 |
| 27 CFR 478.124(c)(3)(iv) | Failure to record NICS contact information on an ATF F 4473 |
| 27 CFR 478.123(b) | Failure to maintain an accurate/complete/timely licensee disposition record |
| 27 CFR 478.124(c)(5) | Failure by transferor to sign and/or date an ATF F 4473 |
| 27 CFR 478.124(c)(3)(i) | Failure to verify or record identification document on ATF F 4473 |
| 27 CFR 478.126a | Failure to report multiple sales or other dispositions of pistols and revolvers |
| 27 CFR 478.124(c)(4) | Failure to record firearm information on an ATF F 4473 |
Firearms Application Inspections
ATF conducted 15,181 firearms application inspections. Of those inspections, 10,545 were approved and 20 were denied. The remaining 4,616 applications were abandoned or withdrawn.
Explosives Licensees
As of FY21, there were 9,054 active federal explosives licenses and permits (FEL/FEPs).
| Manufacturers | 1,989 |
|---|---|
| Importers | 429 |
| Dealers | 804 |
| Limited permits | 55 |
Explosives Application Inspections
ATF conducted 923 explosives application inspections. Of those inspections, 744 were approved and 2 were denied. The remaining 177 applications were abandoned or withdrawn.
Imports and National Firearms Act (NFA)
| NFA registration applications (and transfer applications) | 689,822 |
|---|---|
| NFA registrations processed (total weapons) | 546,224 forms 2,731,716 weapons |
| NFA making and transfer tax collected | $78,564,959.72 |
| NFA special occupation tax collected | $9,165,887.65 |
| Permanent Import Form 6 permit applications (firearms, ammunition and defense articles) | 12,290 |
| Temporary Import Form 6 permit applications for non-immigrant aliens | 2,801 |
| Total import permit applications | 14,334 |
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 548,186 trace requests in FY 2021.
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 evidence acquisitions | 575,727 |
|---|---|
| NIBIN leads & hits | 153,711 |
| NIBIN locations | 266 |
Laboratories
In FY 2021, ATF’s laboratories accomplished the following:
- Analyzed 1,241 forensic cases
- Completed 1,400+ fire research activities
- Performed 633 laboratory research and testing experiments
- Performed 117 electro-mechanical evidence examinations
Budget
The agency’s FY 2021 enacted budget was approximately $1.4 billion.
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Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms
and Explosives
www.atf.gov
