ATF loses its own guns and laptops to carelessness
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms lost 76 weapons and 418 laptops over the last five years due to carelessness and theft, an audit has found.
Of the 76 missing weapons, 35 were stolen from agents’ homes, hotel rooms or vehicles, the report said. Some of the others were left in public places or lost in shipping — or their losses were still unexplained.
Two of the stolen guns were used to commit crimes, the report said. One was used to shoot through the window of a residence, and the other was recovered from suspects arrested on burglary charges.
The inspector general determined that 53 percent of the weapon losses were the result of employees’ carelessness or failure to follow ATF policies.
Of the 418 laptops, 50 were reported stolen.
The report said that in most cases, it was not clear whether the missing laptops contained sensitive or classified information. Seven did; 13 did not.
The ATFs rate of lost weapons was more than twice the rate of lost weapons for the FBI and the DEA, the report stated.
The ATF is responsible for monitoring and regulating guns in the United States.
