Table of Contents
Personnel | Cases and Defendants | Firearms | Explosives | National Firearms Act | Tracing
National Integrated Ballistic Information Network | Laboratories | Budget
Personnel
| Special agents | 2,403 |
|---|---|
| Industry operations investigators | 722 |
| Administrative/professional/technical | 1,659 |
| Total full-time employees | 4,784 |
Cases and Defendants
Case and defendant data present 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 four years.
Cases and defendants indicted, convicted, and sentenced are not subsets of cases and defendants recommended for prosecution in FY 2025. 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 | 22,885 |
|---|---|
| Arson cases initiated | 1,933 |
| Explosives cases initiated | 1,135 |
| Firearms cases recommended for prosecution | 8,052 |
| Indicted cases | 5,545 |
| Convicted cases | 4,061 |
Defendants
| Recommended for prosecution | 11,979 |
|---|---|
| Defendants indicted | 7,572 |
| Defendants convicted | 5,451 |
The data show an average of 5.10 prior arrests and 1.36 prior felony convictions per defendant recommended for prosecution.
Firearms Licensees
As of FY 2025, there were 127,739 active federal firearms licensees (FFLs) and 41,931 firearms licenses issued (to include renewals).
| Type 01: Dealer | 46,072 |
|---|---|
| Type 02: Pawnbroker | 5,929 |
| Type 03: Collector | 49,984 |
| Type 06: Manufacturer of Ammunition | 1,748 |
| Type 07: Manufacturer of Firearms | 21,367 |
| Type 08: Importer | 1,678 |
| Type 09: Dealer of Destructive Devices | 137 |
| Type 10: Manufacturer of Destructive Devices | 522 |
| Type 11: Importer of Destructive Devices | 302 |
Firearms Inspections
ATF conducted 8,472 firearm compliance inspections in FY 2025.
Firearms compliance inspections resulted in the following recommendations:
| No violations | 4,604 |
|---|---|
| Report of violations | 1,553 |
| Warning letter | 677 |
| Warning conference | 547 |
| License surrendered/out of business | 881 |
| Revocation | 83 |
| Other dispositions | 127 |
Top 10 Firearms Violations
| 27 CFR 478.125(e) | Failure to maintain an accurate/complete/timely acquisition and disposition record of firearms | 40,763 |
|---|---|---|
| 27 CFR 478.21(a) | Failure to complete forms as prescribed | 31,006 |
| 27 CFR 478.124(c)(1) | Failure to obtain a completed ATF F 4473 | 23,415 |
| 27 CFR 478.124(c)(3)(iv) | Failure to record NICS contact information on an ATF F 4473 | 14,776 |
| 27 CFR 478.124(c)(5) | Failure by transferor to sign and/or date an ATF F 4473 | 10,336 |
| 27 CFR 478.124(c)(3)(i) | Failure to verify or record Identification document on ATF F 4473 | 7,134 |
| 27 CFR 478.123(b) | Failure to maintain an accurate/complete/timely licensee disposition record | 7,028 |
| 27 CFR 478.126a | Failure to report multiple sales or other dispositions of pistols and revolvers | 6,608 |
| 27 CFR 478.123(a) | Failure to maintain an accurate/complete/timely manufacture or acquisition record | 5,719 |
| 27 CFR 478.124(c)(4) | Failure to record firearm information on an ATF F 4473 | 5,637 |
Firearm Administrative Revocation Assignments
ATF completed 8 firearm administrative revocation assignments. Of those, 6 resulted in license revocation and 2 resulted in other dispositions.
Firearms Application Inspections
ATF conducted 8,562 firearms application inspections. Of those inspections, 6,347 were approved and 14 were denied. The remaining 2,201 application inspections were abandoned or withdrawn.
Firearm Change of Address Inspections
ATF conducted 1,757 firearm change of address inspections. Of those inspections, 1,527 were approved and 230 were abandoned or withdrawn.
Firearm Theft/Loss Inspections
ATF conducted 495 firearm theft/loss inspections.
Explosives Licensees
As of FY 2025, there were 8,955 active federal explosives licenses and permits (FEL/FEPs).
| Manufacturers | 2,006 |
|---|---|
| Importers | 582 |
| Dealers licenses (includes black powder) | 771 |
| Dealers in black powder | 252 |
| Limited permits | 20 |
| User permits | 5,576 |
Explosives Inspections
ATF conducted 920 explosives application inspections. Of those inspections, 723 were approved and 2 were denied. The remaining 195 applications were abandoned or withdrawn.
ATF conducted 3,304 explosive compliance inspections resulting in the following recommendations:
| No violations | 2,736 |
|---|---|
| Report of violations | 54 |
| Warning letter | 122 |
| Warning conference | 44 |
| License surrendered/out of business | 331 |
| Revocation | 6 |
| Other dispositions | 11 |
Most Frequently Cited Explosives 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 | 703 |
|---|---|---|
| 27 CFR 555.29 | Unlawful storage of explosive materials | 90 |
| 27 CFR 555.57(b) | Failure to timely report change of responsible person/employee possessor (within 30 days of change) | 46 |
| 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 | 38 |
| 27 CFR 555.121(c) | Making false entry or omitting entry on permanent explosive records | 31 |
| 27 CFR 555.123(b) | Failure to timely record the acquisition/manufacture of explosive material(s) in a permanent record | 30 |
| 27 CFR 555.215 | Failure to keep area surrounding explosive storage magazines clear of rubbish, brush, dry grass or trees (smaller than 10 feet tall) for not less than 25 feet | 23 |
| 27 CFR 555.125(b)(3) | Failure to timely record the acquisition of explosive material(s) in a permanent record (User) | 20 |
| 27 CFR 555.210(a)(4) | Failure to meet minimum locking requirements of an outdoor type IV magazine | 20 |
| 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) | 19 |
| 27 CFR 555.214(a) | Failure to prevent stored explosive materials from being placed directly against interior walls and/or arranged to promote ventilation | 18 |
Explosives Change of Address Inspections
ATF conducted 114 change of address inspections. Of those inspections, 101 were approved and 13 were abandoned or withdrawn.
Explosive Theft/Loss Inspections
ATF conducted 37 explosive theft/loss inspections.
Other Industry-Related Assignments
ATF conducted 193 other industry-related assignments.
National Firearms Act (NFA)
| NFA registration applications (and transfer applications) received | 1,445,407 |
|---|---|
| NFA registrations processed count of forms | 1,507,443 |
| NFA registrations processed (total weapons)/count of weapons | 5,817,780 |
| NFA making and transfer tax collected | $177,114,166 |
| NFA special occupation tax collected | $10,797,263 |
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 received 654,879 trace requests in FY 2025.
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 | 623,142 |
|---|---|
| NIBIN leads | 193,269 |
| NIBIN hits | 3,849 |
| NIBIN locations | 418 |
Laboratories
In FY 2025, ATF’s laboratories accomplished the following:
| ATF laboratory requests for analysis and testing | 1,522 |
|---|---|
| ATF laboratory completed analysis requests | 1,065 |
| DNA submissions from fired cartridge cases | 75 cases (926 FCCs) |
| Fire Research Laboratory engineering cases | 163 |
| Fire Research Laboratory research experiments | 158 |
| Fire Research Laboratory case test experiments | 400 |
| Fire Research Laboratory forensic cases analyzed | 163 |
| Fire Research Laboratory fire research activities | 20 |
Budget
The agency’s FY 2025 enacted budget was approximately $1.6 billion.
