Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Delivers Remarks at ATF Director Steve Dettelbach’s Farewell Event

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery

Thank you Chelsea, and hello everyone.

I want to start by recognizing Steve's family: his wife Karil and his children, Allie and David.

All of us in public service know that our careers are made possible by the support of our families, who sacrifice so that we may serve.

Thank you so much for joining us and thank you for your support of Steve.

Now it is time to thank you, Steve, for the countless ways you have advanced ATF's mission for the past two-and-a-half years.

You helped lead the Justice Department's efforts to accelerate the fight against gun violence on every front - from cracking down on criminal gun-trafficking pipelines, to deepening our partnerships with state and local law enforcement, to updating ATF regulations.

Under your leadership, ATF agents in field divisions across the country partnered with state and local law enforcement agencies to turn the tide against violent crime.

Preliminary data shows that 2024 will mark the third year in a row that we have seen a substantial decline in murders nationwide.

You oversaw the expansion of our Crime Gun Intelligence Centers, employing cutting-edge technology to trace crime guns, link ballistics evidence to connect shootings, and identify gun traffickers and straw purchasers who arm violent criminals.

You championed NIBIN, the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, which is one of the most powerful tools the Department has in the fight against gun violence.

Because of your leadership, ATF is now working more closely than ever with our state and local partners to turn the evidence they collect at crime scenes into concrete leads. In FY 2023 alone, ATF generated over 200,000 leads on violent criminals.

Indeed, as I have traveled the country, meeting with local law enforcement in almost every state, the question I am most asked is: When can we get one of those great NIBIN machines?

Who said you were crazy when you suggested that ATF's motto should be: a NIBIN in every pot!

You also championed investment in research and analysis that helps solve and prevent crimes involving firearms, arson, and explosives. That included the publication of ATF's most comprehensive survey of firearms trafficking.

And you helmed ATF's efforts to ensure that its regulations keep pace with the ever-changing technology of firearms.

That included issuing a final rule clarifying when a person is "engaged in the business" of dealing in firearms, and thus required to obtain a federal firearms license.

That also included significant work to implement the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the most significant gun safety legislation in over 30 years.

Under your leadership, ATF published an interim final rule to prevent stolen firearms from being resold and implemented enhanced background checks for purchasers under 21.

And thanks to ATF's work, the Justice Department charged over 60 defendants in more than 350 cases under the new trafficking and straw purchasing provisions.

Steve, it goes without saying that I am impressed by your leadership and all that ATF has achieved under your tenure.

But I am equally impressed by the way you have done that work.

Last spring, hundreds of members of the public gathered here at the upstairs atrium for an event that was the first of its kind.

They came because they had lost loved ones to gun violence.

They came because they were dedicated to preventing other families from experiencing the loss they have experienced.

And they came because the ATF Director, Steve Dettelbach, invited them to share their stories at an Inaugural Gun Violence Survivor's Summit.

Steve, in everything you have done, you have reminded us why ATF does the work it does, why all of us came to law enforcement in the first place - to save lives.

You have stood up for and empowered the career professionals of ATF who work tirelessly to fulfill its mission.

You have advocated for the agents who are on the frontlines of the fight against gun violence; the agents who are often among the first to arrive at the scenes of mass shootings; the agents who conduct complex, dangerous operations and answer the call without hesitation.

You have honored the agents who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation, and those who have been injured in that service.

Indeed, even as I was writing these remarks in the last days of December, you were calling a Florida hospital to check up on an ATF agent who lay there severely injured after intervening to stop a fight.

You were making sure he was properly taken care of and making sure that ATF's worried law enforcement partners were kept apprised of his status.

Steve, you have earned the respect of ATF's agents and staff - as well as of the Bureau's many law enforcement partners across the country.

And you have earned the gratitude of a country that is fortunate for your service.

Two-and-a-half years ago, at your investiture, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of ATF's founding as an independent agency.

Today is more bittersweet because it is a farewell. I know how much you love this agency and how deeply you believe in it and in the people who work here.

But you should know that your leadership will be felt here in the halls of ATF - and on the streets of communities across America - for many more years to come.

Thank you for your extraordinary service.

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.