Brady Releases Additional 579 Gun Dealer Inspection Reports on Largest Searchable Database, GunStoreTransparency.org

Washington, D.C., June 16, 2022 - Today, Brady released 579 ATF inspection reports never seen by the public, adding them to its largest searchable database of such reports at GunStoreTransparency.org. Brady’s site now hosts 2,813 such reports, which Brady received after taking the ATF to court to fulfill 2017 and 2018 FOIA requests. This latest release includes updates to the Gun Store Transparency Project site, including added data such as firearms that were discovered as missing during the inspections and the ability to filter data on the site by specific violations and concerns.

Brady Senior Counsel and Director of Programs Josh Scharff shared:

“This latest release is part of Brady’s ongoing work to fill the gap in publicly available data about firearms, unsafe gun industry business practices that lead to trafficking, and federal enforcement of gun laws. This information belongs to the public, and we have a right to have it. The fact that the gun lobby has worked for decades to keep such data from the public has stopped meaningful efforts to study firearms trafficking and reform business practices that we know contributes to gun violence nationwide. At this critical time when ATF and the Department of Justice have prioritized enforcement and addressing the supply of firearms to the illegal market, these inspection reports and the data they contain are an important resource to develop evidence-based solutions for properly enforcing our laws and truly addressing our nation’s gun violence crisis.”

Included in this Latest Release:

  • 579 new ATF inspection reports

  • New data to indicate that firearms that were identified as missing during the inspection and were never reconciled. This updates data for approximately 430 FFLs.

  • A new ability to filter by “concern” to allow users to look for the specific violations and issues they need

  • New functionality to make data more readily sortable and therefore usable for site visitors

About Brady’s Gun Store Transparency Project:

Brady has been defending victims of gun violence in court and pushing for comprehensive and effective federal, state, and local oversight of the gun industry for decades. Beginning in 2017, Brady filed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to obtain federal inspection reports where ATF took administrative action against gun stores cited for violating the law. Ultimately when the records were not produced by ATF, Brady took action in court to force production and has received over 65,000 pages to date of these reports. This database includes and builds upon the documents used in investigations conducted by USA Today and The Trace in 2021, The New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, and others. This database is the most comprehensive and detailed collection of ATF inspection reports ever released publicly, and will continue to grow as Brady obtains new reports from ATF.

About Brady’s Combating Crime Guns Initiative:

A large proportion of gun violence in communities across the United States is fueled by irresponsible and unlawful gun sales by gun dealers and has a disproportionate impact on Black and Brown communities.

A comprehensive approach to ending gun violence must address the supply-side — specifically the gun industry and dealers who are contributing to and profiting from gun violence. Brady’s Combating Crime Guns Initiative works to shift the burden of gun violence from the shooters to the suppliers of crime guns, including irresponsible gun industry actors who prioritize profit over public safety.

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Brady has one powerful mission — to unite all Americans against gun violence. We work across Congress, the courts, and our communities with over 90 grassroots chapters, bringing together young and old, red and blue, and every shade of color to find common ground in common sense. In the spirit of our namesakes Jim and Sarah Brady, we have fought for over 45 years to take action, not sides, and we will not stop until this epidemic ends. It’s in our hands.


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