For Immediate Release
www.atf.gov
January 24, 2003

WASHINGTON - The newly named Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) officially moved to the Department of Justice today, integrating and enhancing the federal government's law enforcement operations.

The move comes as a result of the Homeland Security Bill signed by President Bush last November 25. The legislation split the Bureau into two entities, and the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau will remain at Treasury and continue to regulate and collect revenue from the alcohol and tobacco industries.

"On behalf of the Department of Justice, allow me to be the first to welcome you to our team," Attorney General John Ashcroft said in a memorandum to ATF employees. "Your reputation as highly skilled law enforcement professionals is well recognized among your peers in the law enforcement community, and by the public in general. I am pleased for the opportunity to work with you."

ATF Director Bradley A. Buckles, a veteran of 28 years with the agency, said, "On this day, ATF looks backward in closing the final chapter in its history of honorable service. It looks forward at the same time to beginning a new history, one whose first chapter will be written by some 4,600 special agents, inspectors, regulatory specialists, forensic auditors and laboratory technicians."

The Bureau, he added, "appreciates the cooperative and gracious reception it has received from Attorney General Ashcroft and his team during the two-month transition. We look forward to a long and successful working relationship with our fellow law enforcement organizations within Justice."

ATF has worked in close cooperation with the Justice Department for many years, including many investigations of federal gun crimes. Following the attacks of September 11, members of the ATF have served on the 93 Anti-Terrorism Task Forces located across the country.

Under the Justice Department, the ATF will continue to perform the law enforcement functions relating to firearms, explosives, and arson. It will also administer the U.S. Criminal Code provisions concerning alcohol and tobacco smuggling and diversion.

The move to Justice brings to a close a 200-year history at the Treasury Department that dates back to the collection of the first excise tax imposed on distilled spirits in 1791, and includes the breakup of the "Whisky Ring" of the 1870s, the exploits of the "Untouchables" during Prohibition, and the investigation of the Washington-area sniper case last year.

Since becoming a separate bureau within the Treasury Department in 1972, ATF has served a unique role. It has been a law enforcement agency that apprehended armed, violent criminals, bombers, and arsonists, and also collected taxes since alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and ammunition are all taxable commodities. The Bureau was a regulator of the legal alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and explosives industries, exercising oversight, issuing regulations, and helping those industries voluntarily comply with government guidelines.

As the move becomes final, the ATF is committed to providing the highest levels of service to the industry and the public.

ATF is the world's leading investigative agency on firearms, explosives and arson, providing that expertise to the Federal and state, local and foreign governments. The Bureau administers and enforces the Federal laws and regulations relating to firearms, explosives and arson. ATF's 4,700 men and women serve to protect the American public and reduce violent crime. More information about ATF and its programs is available on the Internet at www.atf.gov.

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