ATF DATA Act

HR 8990, the ATF DATA Act, requires the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to publicly publish detailed firearm trace data annually. It mandates reporting specific information including the top 200 source licensees (with details on recovered firearms, crime types, and time-to-crime), trace distribution patterns by state and firearm type, data on lost/stolen firearms, and trafficking investigation patterns. This affects ATF (which must publish the data), law enforcement agencies (which request traces), and firearm licensees (whose data is reported). The bill focuses on increasing transparency around gun trace data without changing gun laws, requiring the ATF to make this information available electronically to the public.