ated issues went to the ATU. The Bureau was renamed the Internal Revenue Service, the IRS. The IRS renamed the ATU the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Division. When the Gun Control Act was passed in 1968 it gave them the responsibility of firearms. Because of this it was renamed to the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) Division. This is the ATF we know today.The government funds it and they get money taxes collected from alcohol, tobacco, and firearms retailers. It is broken down into four major parts. There are the Alcohol Programs, Tobacco Programs, Firearms Programs, and Arson & Explosives Programs. The Alcohol Division is responsible for approving certificates of label approval (COLAs) for alcoholic beverages. They way it works is that it gets money for every barrel or can of alcohol. They regulate the alcohol industry. They issue alcohol permits and work to keep criminals out of the business. The Tobacco Division works about the same. It uses money given to them by taxes and permits. The job of the Tobacco Division is to ensure the collection of tobacco taxes and to qualify applicants for permits to manufacture or import tobacco products or to operate tobacco export warehouses. The Firearms division investigates armed violent offenders and career criminals, narcotics traffickers, narco-terrorists, violent gangs, and domestic and international arms traffickers, along with tax collection, and permit issuing. The Arson & Explosives Division has responsibilities dedicated to protecting the public, reducing violent crime, and collecting revenue. It enforces the Federal laws and regulations to explosives and arson. All of these four divisions are broken down and there are head offices around the nation. There are currently 14 regions but soon to be 23. These offices control a large area, up to five states, and regulate everything each division does. The man in charge is the Director of the ATF. His name is Bradley A. Buckles. He oversees the...
