Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05) today led a letter to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in response to a sharp decline in federal firearm licenses (FFLs) inspections in 2020 and the extremely low number of revocations or denials of FFLs. Joining Rep. Scanlon on the letter are Congressman Brendan Boyle (PA-02), Congressman Dwight Evans (PA-03), and Congresswoman Madeleine Dean (PA-04).

“We suffered a terrible toll of gun violence in Philadelphia in 2021, with fatal and non-fatal shootings at levels not seen for decades. Philadelphia Police Department officials recently shared that homicides in the city are 12% higher than last year at the same date, with 86 people dead,” the members wrote. “The factors for stopping violence are complicated, and our local law enforcement and community violence intervention programs are doing all they can. Still, we know that the majority of firearms used in crimes are purchased outside of Philadelphia and brought into the city.”

The members continued, “Crime guns come from multiple sources, but one clear way to cut off the supply of illegal guns is for FFLs to do all they can to prevent guns from being acquired by straw purchasers and gun traffickers while shutting down the rogue gun dealers who skirt the law. The ATF is responsible for making sure FFLs follow the law. However, we are concerned about the agency’s limited number of FFL inspections in recent years.”

Between 2019 and 2020, the ATF’s total inspections of FFLs dropped by 55%, from 13,079 in 2019 to 5,827. In addition, the last four months of data shows rates of inspection that would lead to even fewer inspections than in 2020.

Reps. Scanlon, Boyle, Evans, and Dean requested detailed answers from ATF to six questions by April 15, 2022. Find full text of the letter here. 

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