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• ATF is the official abbreviation for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, a federal law enforcement agency that operates under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Justice. The ATF investigates and prevents the illegal manufacture and distribution of liquor, tobacco, firearms, and narcotics, and has a nationwide task forces to respond to violations thereof. The ATF also regulates interstate sales, possession, and transportation of weapons.

• Fast Facts

  1. Formed: July 1, 1972
  2. Also known as: ATF, BATF, BATFE
  3. Parent organization: U.S. Department of Justice
  4. Preceding agencies: Treasury Department Revenue Laboratory, Bureau of Prohibition
  5. Headquarters: Washington, D.C.
  6. Employees: 4,559
  7. Acting Director: Michael J. Sullivan
  8. Annual budget: $1 billion
  9. 2002: Homeland Security Act transfers the ATF from the Treasury Department to the Justice Department

• Key Dates

  1. 1866: U.S. Treasury Department forms the Revenue Laboratory
  2. 1920: Bureau of Prohibition founded within the Bureau of Internal Revenue
  3. 1933: Volstead Act repealed, ending Prohibition, moving the Bureau of Prohibition into the Treasury Department under the Alcohol Tax Unit name (ATU)
  4. 1950s: Bureau of Internal Revenue becomes the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and the ATU becomes the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Division (ATTD)
  5. 1968: The Gun Control Act passes, and ATTD becomes the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Division of the IRS
  6. 1972: President Nixon signs an Executive Order officially creating the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives

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