OIG Audit Report 05-30

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’
National Integrated Ballistic Information Network Program

Audit Report 05-30
June 2005
Office of the Inspector General

Statement on Compliance with Laws and Regulations

We audited the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) administration of the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) program. The audit covered the period from July 1999 to February 2005. The audit was conducted in accordance with the generally accepted Government Auditing Standards.
Compliance with laws and regulations is the responsibility of the NIBIN Program Management Office. In connection with the audit and as required by the Standards, we reviewed procedures, activities, and records to obtain reasonable assurance about the Program Management Office’s compliance with laws, regulations, and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circulars that, if not complied with, could have a material effect on program operations.
Our audit included examining, on a test basis, evidence about laws, regulations, and OMB Circulars. The specific laws and regulations for which we conducted tests are contained in the relevant portions of:

OMB Circular A-123,

the Firearms Owners’ Protection Act of 1986,

annual appropriations for the Department of the Treasury for FY 1999 through FY 2003, and

annual appropriations for the Department of Justice for FY 2004 through FY 2005.

We also reviewed the following laws, regulations, and NIBIN-related documentation and procedural manuals applicable to the ATF’s administration of the NIBIN program:

Federal Firearms Regulations Reference Guide,

Memorandum of Understanding between the ATF and the FBI,

Memorandum of Understanding between the ATF and its NIBIN partner agencies,

January 2001 memoranda from the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury mandating participation of both departments’ law enforcement agencies in the NIBIN program,

ATF Office of Laboratory Services Policies and Procedures Guidelines,

IBIS User’s Quick Reference Guide,

IBIS User’s Guide, Version 3.3,

IBIS User’s Training Guide, and

IBIS User’s Training Course, Version 3.4.

Except for instances of noncompliance identified in the Findings and Recommendations section of this report, the NIBIN Program Management Office was in compliance with the laws and regulations referred to above.