The
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (
ATF) is a federal law enforcement organization within the
United States Department of Justice. Its responsibilities include the investigation and prevention of federal offenses involving the unlawful use, manufacture, and possession of
firearms and
explosives; acts of
arson and bombings; and illegal trafficking of
alcohol and
tobacco products. The ATF also regulates via licensing the sale, possession, and transportation of firearms, ammunition, and explosives in
interstate commerce. Many of ATF's activities are carried out in conjunction with task forces made up of state and local law enforcement officers, such as Project Safe Neighborhoods. ATF operates a unique
fire research laboratory in
Beltsville, Maryland, where full-scale mock-ups of criminal arson can be reconstructed.