While most of the world entered 2000 without incident, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms (BATF) was one of the few exceptions. It had to halt issuing Federal Firearms Licenses (FFLs) on January 3, when a glitch that prevented the Bureau's computers from recognizing the correct date was discovered. The apparent failure to make necessary adjustments to its system did not go unnoticed, as the January 4 issue of the Detroit News reported, "The [BATF] must license and register gun dealers on paper until electronic problems are repaired."
U.S. Representative John Dingell (D-Mich.) also noticed the problem, and requested an account from new BATF Director Bradley Buckles as to why problems were experienced. Dingell commented in his letter, "Knowing of the tremendous investments the Bureau has made in recent years in upgrading its computer infrastructure, I am somewhat taken aback that the critical operations of your Atlanta licensing center have apparently been taken off-line. Considering the current scrutiny being applied to the firearm industry's distribution and dealer network, I am concerned that efforts to ‘license and register gun dealers on paper' will be inadequate to ensure that BATF is properly exercising its duly assigned regulatory role." Representative Dingell requested a response to his letter, which included several questions relating to BATF's computer system and its ability to execute its duties, by January 21. We will be sure to report any developments on this front.
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