[Response of Treasury Department Inspector General to Eric Larson's March 28, 2000, testimony presented to the Subcommittee on Treasury, Postal Service and General Government, regarding ATF's failure to correct errors the IG found during its audits of the NFRTR] Eric M. Larson P.O. Box 5497 Takoma Park, Maryland 20913 (301) 270-3450 larsone@erols.com April 22, 2000 The Honorable Jeffrey Rush Inspector General Department of the Treasury 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20220 Dear General Rush: I am enclosing a copy of my official testimony submitted to the House Subcommittee on Treasury, Postal Service and General Government Appropriations, dated March 28, 2000. The reason is that it may assist you and your staff in encouraging the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) to correct the errors you found in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record (NFRTR) in your 1998 audits. The errors are summarized in Enclosure 2, page 4, of your December 1999 letter to the Congressional leadership, a copy of which is enclosed for your convenience of reference. I believe that my testimony may assist you and your staff. The reason is that it contributes information relevant to the errors documented by your 1998 audits, which were performed at the request of The Honorable Dan Burton, Chairman, House Committee on Government Reform. It is gratifying that you have recognized the seriousness of ATF's failure to be responsive to correcting the errors in the NFRTR that you documented, and that you took the time to specifically point this problem out to the Congress. I am sure that the Congress would be willing to assist you in encouraging ATF to correct these errors and help to restore confidence in the Government. I would be glad to assist you and your staff in any way, in further presentations of these errors to the Congressional leadership. This is complicated material, and I can appreciate the challenges that you and your staff may have in understanding it comprehensively, given ATF's obvious reluctance to even acknowledge that a serious problem exists. I understand how difficult it is for you to ring the bell on what essentially is a sister bureau, but think you would agree that allowing ATF to circumvent the high standards expected of a federal law enforcement agency is just not a good idea. Sincerely, (signed---Eric M. Larson) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY WASHINGTON, D.C. 20220 May 3, 2000 OFFICE OF INSPECTOR INSPECTOR GENERAL Mr. Eric M. Larson P.O. Box 5497 Takoma Park, Maryland 20913 Dear Mr. Larson: I am writing with regard to your letter dated April 22, 2000, to Inspector General Jeffrey Rush, Jr., concerning the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record maintained by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF). We are just beginning the process of formulating the Office of Inspector General Fiscal Year 2001 Plan. During our planning process, we consider past jobs for possible follow-up audits. Accordingly, the work we have performed on ATF's National Firearms Registry will be considered during this process. Sincerely, (signed---Dennis S. Schindel) Dennis S. Schindel Assistant Inspector General for Audit