Congressman Matt Gaetz Grills ATF Director Steven Dettelbach

Washington, DC – In a heated exchange during the House Judiciary Committee’s Oversight hearing of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Congressman Matt Gaetz questioned ATF Director Steven Dettelbach about the agency’s loss of firearms and non-compliance with regulations.

Reading from a story investigative journalists from AmmoLand News broke titled: ATF, the Enforcer of Gun Laws, Lost 1000s to Thieves. Gaetz asked Dettelbach how many guns the ATF had lost, to which Dettelbach responded that he was unsure of the question’s context. Gaetz then referred to the source report by the Office of Inspector General that revealed thousands of firearms, firearm parts, and ammunition had been stolen from the ATF.

Dettelbach clarified that no guns were lost but were stolen by an individual who was not an ATF agent and that the ATF had implemented numerous safety measures in response to the incident. Gaetz then referred to a Government Accountability Office report.

Gaetz questioned Dettelbach about the ATF’s failure to follow the recommendations of the Office of Inspector General and a Government Accountability Office report, questioning why the agency had not adhered to its own policies.

“…there were recommendations made on what you should do so that you don’t become the victim of the theft, and the inspector General’s saying you’re not following them I’m quoting directly from the inspector General’s report: “thousands of firearms, firearms parts, and ammunition had been stolen from the ATF.”

Dettelbach deflected, saying that the agency had implemented numerous safety measures and that the Inspector General’s report was from several years ago.

Gaetz also questioned Dettelbach about the ATF’s deletion of firearms purchase records that were not lawfully obtained.

“…you keep records you’re not supposed to? It was a quarter million of them you had to delete right? Was it over 200000 you had to delete? I just want to know the number of records you had to delete that were not being lawfully maintained.”

continuing “…that’s what you guys do you keep what you shouldn’t.”

Dettelbach defensively responded that records had not been searched and did not recall the exact number of records deleted.

Concerning a report by AmmoLand News from Aug 11, 2022: “Family-Owned Legacy Gun Shop Latest Casualty of Biden’s War on Guns” Congressman Matt Gaetz read a related letter from one of his constituents, a firearms dealer who had been in the business for 46 years. The dealer had completed a background check on a customer, which the Florida Department of Law Enforcement approved. However, the ATF later deemed it a non-approval and revoked the dealer’s license for releasing the firearm. Gaetz accused the ATF of destroying the livelihood of a law-abiding citizen over a technicality.

Dettelbach responded that Congress granted the ATF’s authority to inspect firearms dealers and ensure their compliance. He also stated that the vast majority of firearms dealers were compliant and were the first line of defense against straw purchases.

Gaetz accused the ATF of being hypocritical for imposing a zero-tolerance policy that resulted in the highest rate of Federal Firearms license revocations in 16 years while the agency could not live up to its own standards. The hearing ended without any resolution to the issues raised by Gaetz.

The recent Oversight hearing of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) has shed more light on the agency’s continued non-compliance with even it’s own regulations and failure to follow recommendations from the Office of Inspector General and Government Accountability Office reports. The hearing revealed severe concerns about the ATF’s ability to enforce regulations effectively and lawfully. The issues raised by AmmoLand News and Congressman Gaetz require further investigation and resolution to ensure that the ATF is operating within the bounds of the law and protecting public safety.