The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives did not exist as an individual government bureau until 1972, when it became independent from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). However, ATF’s roots date back to 1862, when Congress created the Office of Internal Revenue to be part of the Treasury Department. Three special detectives were added a year later to help prevent, detect, and punish tax evaders. Those detectives became the forefathers of today’s agents. The seeds of the ATF were now planted, and the Office continued to grow.
In 1919, a Prohibition Unit was formed within the Office of Internal Revenue. This unit would be home to perhaps the most famous enforcer of all time, Eliot Ness, and his group of ‘Untouchables.’ Ness is infamously known as the man who brought down notorious gangster Al Capone for tax evasion, as well as being a stickler for shutting down illegal bootlegging rings.
Unfortunately for the ATF, the legacy of Eliot Ness is often overshadowed by a more recent, highly controversial incident: the Waco Siege. In February 1993, ATF agents raided a ranch in Mt. Carmel, Tx occupied by Branch Davidian’s, a religious cult facing allegations of weapons violations and child abuse. After the raid, a 51-day standoff between the FBI and the Branch Davidian’s began. The standoff ended with a massive fire that killed almost all of the cult members inside the compound.
The tragedy at Waco in April of 1993 put ATF on the map with Americans, but not where they would have liked. In all, over 80 people died in the Waco tragedy, four of them ATF agents. Although a Treasury Department review and an advisory jury both found that ATF did not use excessive force, but rather made a disciplined response to an ambush, the bloodshed at Waco has left a scar on ATF’s record.
To that point, ATF was a little-known government agency to the common American; but ever since, ATF has been challenged to create a new image for itself.
In January 2003, ATF relocated from the Treasury Department to the Department of Justice, and is no longer involved in cases of tax evasion. Today, ATF is concerned with preventing terrorism, investigating firearms and explosives violations, arsons, and illegal alcohol and tobacco trafficking.
ATF has played a part in infamous events in our country’s past, and with the ongoing terrorist threats on the U.S., will continue to play a large role in defending our country and bringing terrorists to justice in the future.
