Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives: Difference between revisions

The '''Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives''' ('''BATFE'''), commonly referred to as the '''ATF''', is a domestic [[law enforcement agency]] within the [[United States Department of Justice]]. Its responsibilities include the investigation and prevention of federal offenses involving the unlawful use, manufacture, and possession of [[firearm]]s and [[explosive]]s; acts of [[arson]] and [[bomb]]ings; and illegal trafficking and [[tax evasion]] of [[alcohol (drug)|alcohol]] and [[tobacco]] products. The ATF also regulates via licensing the sale, possession, and transportation of firearms, ammunition, and explosives in [[interstate commerce]]. Many of the ATF's activities are carried out in conjunction with task forces made up of state and local law enforcement officers, such as [[Project Safe Neighborhoods]]. The ATF operates a unique [[ATF Fire Research Laboratory|fire research laboratory]] in [[Beltsville, Maryland]], where full-scale mock-ups of criminal arson can be reconstructed. The ATF had 5,285 employees and an annual budget of almost $1.5 billion in 2021.<ref name="Facts">{{Cite web |title=Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) |url=https://www.justice.gov/jmd/page/file/1398971/download |publisher=The United States Department of Justice |access-date=September 14, 2022}}</ref> The ATF has received criticism over its handling of the [[Ruby Ridge]] siege,<ref>{{cite news |title=CITING RUBY RIDGE, SPECTER CALLS FOR ABOLITION OF ATF |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1995/10/24/citing-ruby-ridge-specter-calls-for-abolition-of-atf/7994087a-8cf1-434c-8e3b-73c27005d285/ |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=October 24, 1995}}</ref> the [[Waco siege]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Official Says ATF Made Mistakes at Waco, Has Since Reformed |url=https://apnews.com/article/4fc8745f6c835ce802ad68ee054aef0e |publisher=Associated Press |date=October 31, 1995}}</ref> and other incidents.

[[Timothy McVeigh]] cited Ruby Ridge and Waco Siege as his motivation for the [[Oklahoma City Bombing]], which took place on April 19, 1995, exactly two years after the end of the Waco Siege.<ref>See "McVeigh Remorseless About Bombing", newswire release, Associated Press, 2001-03-29, reposted at Cult Education Institute, accessed July 4, 2015.</ref> McVeigh's criterion for attack sites was that the target should house at least two of three [[Federal law enforcement in the United States|federal law enforcement agencies]]: the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI), and the [[Drug Enforcement Administration]] (DEA). He regarded the presence of additional law enforcement agencies, such as the [[United States Secret Service|Secret Service]] or the [[United States Marshals Service|U.S. Marshals Service]], as a bonus.<ref name="AmerTerror167">{{cite book|title=American Terrorist|journal=Scientific American|volume=284|issue=6|author=Michel, Lou|author2=Dan Herbeck|page=[https://archive.org/details/americanterroris00loum/page/167 167]|isbn=978-0-06-039407-3|bibcode=2001SciAm.284f..28D|year=2001|doi=10.1038/scientificamerican0601-28|pmid=11396336|url=https://archive.org/details/americanterroris00loum/page/167}}</ref>