This legislation, titled the ATF Data and Anti-Trafficking Accountability Act or the ATF DATA Act, requires the Attorney General, acting through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), to annually publish detailed reports on firearm trace data. These reports, to be made available to Congress and the public, must commence within six months of the Act's enactment. The primary goal is to increase transparency and provide granular insights into firearm origins and trafficking.

The mandated reports will include extensive information such as aggregated firearm trace data disaggregated by licensee type, and a list of the 200 source licensees to whom the highest number of firearms were traced. For these top licensees, the report must detail the aggregate number of firearms traced, cities of recovery, average time-to-crime, crime categories, multiple sales, and lost or stolen firearm reports. Additionally, the bill requires data on the distribution of traces among licensees by state and type, and aggregated data for the 50 metropolitan areas with the highest homicide rates, including details on recovered firearms, source states, and top retail sellers.

Further provisions require data on the types of firearms traced, including manufacturers and crime categories, as well as information on firearms recovered from multiple sales and those determined to be lost or stolen from licensees. The reports must also cover the total number of privately made firearms recovered, disaggregated by state and type. Finally, the Act mandates an overview and analysis of firearms trafficking patterns in the United States, including details on Department of Justice investigations and the role of sales by unlicensed individuals or entities.