ATF Leads the Way According to a recent Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) study, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) was the lead investigative agency for weapons prosecutions in March 2006. Justice Department statistics show that new weapons prosecutions for the month increased over 26 percent from the previous month, with 895 prosecutions. ATF is responsible for 78 percent of these cases, a number substantially higher than all the other government agencies combined.