Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

BATFE, Firearm Importation & Federal Firearm Law Reform

Among its duties, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) monitors firearm manufacturers, importers and dealers for compliance with record-keeping requirements; conducts traces on the commercial paths of individual firearms at the request of law enforcement agencies; interprets firearm importation law; and administers transfers of firearms regulated by the National Firearm Act of 1934.

The BATFE was used by the Clinton administration to reduce the number of firearm dealers, and by the administrations of presidents G. H. W. Bush and Clinton to restrict “assault weapons” by misinterpreting firearm importation law. The agency’s tracing data, sometimes useful in identifying persons involved in illegally trafficking firearms, have been mischaracterized by gun control supporters in the context of their campaigns against “Saturday Night Specials” and “assault weapons,” and in favor of making state gun laws more restrictive.

BATFE has been widely criticized for its role in the “Ruby Ridge” and “Waco” tragedies, and Operation Fast and Furious, in which the agency knowingly allowed firearms to be bought by straw purchasers and other traffickers, and thereafter smuggled from the United States to Mexico, where they made their way to violent drug cartels.

Issue Articles
SECTION
FROM
WITHIN

Friday, December 13, 2013

Comments Reveal Strong Opposition to Proposed Rule on NFA Trusts

In September, we reported on the Obama administration's ill-conceived regulatory proposal to further complicate the already burdensome process ...

National Review  

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

How the BATFE manufactures crime

Since the president was reelected in November of last year, a good deal of poison has been poured ...

Reason.com  

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Unbelievable: ATF Using Mentally Disabled Teens to Run Drug-and-Gun Stings

If you thought the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) couldn't stoop any lower, you'd be ...

The Journal Sentinel  

Monday, December 9, 2013

BATFE uses rogue tactics in storefront stings across nation

Earlier this year when the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel exposed a botched ATF sting in Milwaukee — that included ...

News  

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Feds consider new gun regs

The ATF would not comment on the draft rule, since it has not yet been released to the ...

News  

Friday, October 18, 2013

BATFE Whistleblower Can Now Publish "Fast and Furious" Book

Last week, we reported on the latest news regarding the deadly Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' ...

News  

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

BATFE’s prescription for leaking secrets: A firing squad?

After months of anguished debate over mass shootings, gun control and Second Amendment rights, the Justice Department finds ...

News  

Monday, October 14, 2013

It's not likely censorship will boost morale at BATFE

The first lesson every politician should learn about managing a scandal is that when you find yourself in ...

News  

Friday, October 11, 2013

Double-Standards in D.C.

As most Americans know, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives--and perhaps others in the Obama administration--knowingly ...

News  

Friday, October 11, 2013

BATFE Solicits Comments on Poorly-Conceived NFA Transfer Proposal

As we previously reported, the Obama administration, via the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, has proposed a new ...

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.