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This is OnPoint. I'm Megna Chacrabardi.

The federal bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and explosives states its mission as the following.

Quote, ATF protects the public from crimes involving firearms, explosives, arson, and the diversion of alcohol and tobacco products.

Regulates lawful commerce in firearms and explosives and provides worldwide support to law enforcement, public safety, and industry partners.

That's a critically important mission in a country with one of the highest rates of gun deaths in the world.

We are just over halfway through this year and there have already been 22,686 gun-related deaths in the United States.

And yet, due to resistance from the gun lobby and from Republican members of Congress,

ATF has been hobbled and underfunded.

It went without a permanent director for seven years.

One ATF employee put it as this, quote,

we are asked to do our jobs with both hands tied behind our backs and our feet in leg irons.

End quote.

Well, last year, ATF finally got a permanent director.

Stephen Dettelback, a former civil rights lawyer and former US attorney in Ohio, was sworn in as ATF director on July 13, 2022.

He joins us today to look back on his first year and towards the challenges ahead for ATF.

Director Dettelback, welcome to on point.

Thanks for having me. Really appreciate it.

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