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.