Restore the ATF Demand Letter Program and Release Crime Gun Records

ATF's Demand Letter 2 program traced 190,000 crime guns over 25 years.

A letter to your members of Congress. Facts checked June 4, 2026.

The Letter

Subject Restore the ATF Demand Letter 2 Program and Fund Enforcement

For 25 years, ATF's Demand Letter 2 program identified gun dealers who sold 25 or more firearms recovered at crime scenes in a single year. The program traced more than 190,000 firearms between 2000 and 2021. Annual traces grew from 963 to 17,396. Roughly 1,500 dealers received DL2s in 2022-2023, many of them previously cited for federal firearms violations.

In June 2025, ATF ended the program after the gun industry's trade association called it unfair. ATF Director Cekada supported the decision. The same year, ATF lost 219 criminal investigators and the administration proposed 30-plus regulatory rollbacks for sellers and manufacturers. Brady United is now suing in federal court because ATF refused to release DL2 records.

Restore the Demand Letter 2 program. Fund ATF enforcement. Require ATF to publish DL2 data proactively instead of forcing organizations to sue for records the public already paid for.

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Call Your Representative

U.S. Capitol switchboard: (202) 224-3121

I am calling about the ATF Demand Letter 2 program, which tracked gun dealers who sold 25 or more crime-traced firearms per year.
The program traced 190,000 firearms between 2000 and 2021. ATF paused it in 2025 after the gun industry complained. Brady United is now suing because ATF refuses to release the records.
ATF lost 219 criminal investigators in 2025 while the administration proposed 30-plus regulatory rollbacks for the gun industry.
I am asking you to restore the Demand Letter 2 program and fund ATF enforcement at levels that support both inspections and public records compliance.

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The Facts Behind the Ask

190,000 firearms traced through the Demand Letter 2 program between 2000 and 2021 (source)
1,706% growth in annual DL2 traces from 963 in 2000 to 17,396 in 2021 (source)
~1,500 dealers received Demand Letter 2s in 2022-2023, many previously cited for violations (source)
219 criminal investigators who left ATF in 2025 (source)

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