Federal law requires the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to track which licensed dealers supply guns later linked to crimes. That data exists. Getting it released is another matter.
Brady, a nonprofit gun control advocacy group, filed suit against the ATF and the Department of Justice after both agencies refused to hand over documents identifying the largest sellers of crime guns in the United States. The suit was filed after the agencies declined to comply with Brady’s records requests.
The lawsuit
Brady’s complaint centers on what the group says is a deliberate refusal — not a delay — to release information the public has a right to see. Crime gun trace data has long been shielded from broad disclosure under a congressional rider known as the Tiahrt Amendment, which restricts how the ATF can share such records. Whether that restriction covers the specific documents Brady is seeking is now a question for the courts.
The DOJ, which oversees the ATF, hasn’t publicly explained why it joined the agency in withholding the records. Neither agency had commented on the litigation as of the NPR report published Wednesday, June 4, 2026.
Brady hasn’t disclosed what specific documents it requested beyond identifying records about the dealers who supply the highest volumes of guns later recovered at crime scenes. The group argues that dealers responsible for a disproportionate share of crime guns should be a matter of public record.
No hearing date in the case had been announced as of the NPR report.
Reporting by NPR. Read the original report.
