By The Epoch Times | Created at 2026-08-14 22:41:58 | Updated at 2026-08-14 23:41:31
1 hour ago
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) is joining other federal and Missouri-based law enforcement agencies to crack down on violent crimes involving guns, the bureau said on Aug. 13.
ATF is partnering with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, U.S. Marshals Service, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, and other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to address violent crime.
According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), the surge is an intelligence-driven effort focused on criminals committing firearm-related violence, including repeat offenders, prohibited possessors of firearms, and gun traffickers.
“Every part of this surge is aimed at one outcome: lasting public safety,” Bernard Hansen, special agent in charge of ATF’s Kansas City Field Division, stated in a press release. “That means holding violent offenders accountable, disrupting the criminal networks that support them, and interrupting the illegal supply of firearms.”
St. Louis Metropolitan Police Chief Robert J. Tracy said the operation has one overriding objective.
“This partnership is ultimately about the people we serve—helping families feel safe in their neighborhoods, supporting the officers working to protect them, and continuing to build safer, stronger communities across our city,” Tracy said.
In his first address to the U.S. Department of Justice workforce on Aug. 13, newly confirmed Attorney General Todd Blanche said fighting violent crime will continue to be a major objective of the DOJ.
Blanche said that violent crime has declined in the past few years largely because local and federal law enforcement have worked together. He told DOJ employees that they will continue to work with other law enforcement agencies to keep one promise to violent criminals.
“We will prosecute you,” Blanche said.
U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 12, 2026. Alex Wong/Getty Images
Blanche said violent crime has been trending down across America. Operations such as this should keep that trend going, he said.
Information from the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA), indicates that violent crime is on the decline, including Missouri’s St. Louis and Kansas City.
The MCCA says that 66 law enforcement agencies from around the country reported an overall drop in violent crimes.
According to the MCCA data, from Jan. 1 through June 30, homicides fell from 2,611 to 2,162, rapes are down from 13,277 to 12,449, robbery decreased from 37,938 to 31,629, and aggravated assaults dropped from 117,416 to 110,768 nationally from the same period in 2025.
The MCCA reports that in Kansas City, reported homicides dropped from 82 to 68, rape decreased from 220 to 173, robbery is down from 513 to 378, and aggravated assault is down from 2,787 to 2,645.
The numbers from St. Louis are 71 to 65 for homicide, 66 to 63 rapes, 286 to 226 for robbery, and 1,311 to 1,210 aggravated assaults.
Ammunition in a store in California in a file illustration. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
The agencies will use crime intelligence combined with ballistic leads generated through the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) and information developed through crime gun tracing.
Firearms leave distinct markings on bullets and casings that are fired through them. The NIBIN gathers data on these markings and enables investigators to tie certain firearms to specific reports, according to the ATF.
“This coordinated approach can help investigators identify connections among shootings, link firearms to multiple crime scenes, recognize trafficking patterns, and develop leads that might otherwise remain separate across jurisdictions,” the DOJ press release states.
The ATF would not release details of the operation to avoid compromising ongoing investigations or judicial proceedings and to maintain the security and safety of personnel. The agency said it would release information on investigations and arrests when the information can be made public without compromising the operation.
According to its website, the ATF’s primary mission is to protect America from violent crime involving firearms, explosives, and acts of arson. The agency uses crime gun intelligence and forensic analysis to identify and arrest violent criminals and to dismantle trafficking networks, its website states.
The ATF has been criticized in recent years for alleged heavy-handed tactics. It has been accused of focusing on trying to choke off the legal gun trade as a means of depriving violent criminals of the arms they need to commit crime.
“We defend the rights of law-abiding citizens by safeguarding lawful commerce and upholding the Constitution of the United States,” the ATF states.
