Rudderless ATF finally gets a leader

Opinion editor's note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.

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Seven years. That's how long the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — a critically important agency in the face of rising gun violence — has been adrift without a confirmed director.

In those years, mass shootings have occurred in Florida, Texas, California, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Virginia, Ohio, Wisconsin, Colorado, Georgia and Indiana. Some states have endured several. That, of course, does not include the many victims of gun violence who were not part of a mass shooting, and there have been far too many of those as well.

Steve Dettelbach, recently confirmed 48-46 by the Senate, should be able to provide a firm guiding hand to an agency badly in need of one. He served six years as the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. Appointed by President Barack Obama, Dettelbach was among the U.S. attorneys who resigned in 2016 with the change of administration.

A former Justice Department attorney and later an acting deputy chief within that department, Dettelbach has deep experience running agencies dealing with complex legal matters. He also previously served as deputy chief U.S. attorney in Maryland's southern division.

It could not be more evident that there is a need for a strong federal role here that can supersede — or at least give an underlying structure to — the crazy quilt of state regulations. Regrettably, as qualified as Dettelbach is and as much as a director is needed, Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Ohio's Rob Portman were the only Republicans to vote for his confirmation.

If finally providing ATF with the leadership it has needed for so long was Job One for gun violence reduction, then Job Two surely should be speedy passage of the ATF Improvement and Modernization Act. The act would eliminate unnecessary restrictions that run counter to the agency's purpose and allow it to maintain a central firearm database that can quickly trace data for law enforcement and detect gun trafficking patterns.

Currently, the National Tracing Center keeps records on paper and microfiche (yes, microfiche), which delays law enforcement requests by weeks or longer, hindering active criminal investigations. The act would also allow ATF to search firearms dealers' computerized records. Under current law, the agency must remove the search function from those records, another absurdist bit of obstructionism.

Perhaps most importantly, the act would allow the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) to keep background check information for more than a single day, a step that would go a long way toward enhancing the FBI's ability to curb illegal firearms transfers.

First introduced in 2020, the bill was reintroduced recently by Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Virginia Rep. Don Beyer, two Democrats who expressed hope that the recent bipartisan passage of a modest gun control bill and Dettelbach's confirmation were signs that more could be done.

"Gun violence has plagued our country for too long — stoking fear and wreaking havoc in our communities, our neighborhoods, and our schools," Van Hollen said in reintroducing the bill. "Inaction is not an option." Now that the agency has a confirmed leader, he said, "it's time to ensure ATF has the tools it needs to make our communities safe. This common-sense legislation eliminates obstacles that hinder ATF's ability to crack down on illegal gun trafficking and reckless gun deals to dangerous individuals and empowers the bureau to tackle the gun violence epidemic head-on."

The act would require federal law enforcement to coordinate on preventing the importation and trafficking of illegal gun modifications that convert semi-automatics such as the AR-15 into fully automatic weapons. They would also be empowered to seize any profits from illegal trafficking.