Instead of Going Away Leak Shows ATF Expanding to Four New Branches

[Charlie T Waite]

MARTINSBURG, WV –-(Ammoland.com)- Recently AmmoLand News ran an article talking about the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) plan to double in size. Now, due to a newly obtained internal document by AmmoLand News sources, we know part of the expansion plan.

Effective October 31, 2021, the ATF will be establishing four (4) new branches.

The new branches will be the Firearms Enforcement Officer Development Branch (FEODB) and three Field Response Branches (FRB). The newly announced additions will be part of the Firearms and Ammunitions Technology Division (FATD) and the Officer of Enforcement Programs and Services (EPS).

The FRBs will be broken up into three regions (east, central, west). Each FRB will be responsible for the administration, oversight, and management of the Firearms Enforcement Officer (FEO) Regional Field Response Program.

These new field offices with regional FEO are a departure from the current FEO setup. Right now, all FEOs work out of Martinsburg, WV. The new setup would have FEO permanently assigned to regional offices across the country. FEOs examine evidence in criminal and civil cases for FATD. For example, an FEO looked at the Rare Breed Trigger and determined it to be a machine gun. 

The FEO will be a mix of current FEOs and new hires. The new employees will be assigned to one of seven hubs. The west branch will consist of hubs in Seattle, Denver, and Las Vegas. The east unit will include offices in Chicago, Kansas City, and Dallas. The final hubs will be in the east and consist of Atlanta and Martinsburg. Dallas will be the first hub to roll out during the second quarter of 2022.

The ATF says it needs regional hubs to assist in “identifying criminal firearms and ammunition violations within a field division or office.” The Bureau also states that FEO will now be able to provide scene assistance for when the ATF executes a search warrant in a timely manner.

The ATF says the new setup will save the government money!? When has more government ever saved taxpayers money?

According to the document, one regional FEO cost the government $21,5000 per FEO per year, minus a leased vehicle, travel cost, and TDY expenses. An FEO at Martinsburg cost the ATF $30,500, with travel cost added into the equation. The cost model with all costs for the pilot programs shows that each FEO will cost the government $104,316 per FEO for one year, which is significantly higher than $30,500. None of these costs include the salaries of the FEOs.

The FEO Development Branch will be set up to help new FEOs in the field offices navigate the training. They will also provide the “administrative function and efficient management of the FEO Professional Career Training Plan” of the new offices.

The ATF list the disadvantages of the change as “none.” What is concerning is the ATF uses the base cost per regional FEO with no expenses included and includes expenses when looking at the yearly cost for an FEO at Martinsburg. When all cost is calculated, the regional FEO assignment is significantly more expensive than having all the FEOs under one roof. That isn’t even considering the cost of all the new employees needed to support the new regional FEOs, including the employees required to run the new Developmental Branch. And all for what purpose, but for increased harassment by an unconstitutional government agency.

This leak shows a significant expansion of the ATF. AmmoLand News will continue to monitor the ATF’s growth trajectory.

View the full document here:

Biden ATF Forming Four New Branches 2021 Organization Chart Brief ATF B 1030.207