[This is the agenda for a very interesting meeting. It shows what ATF would like to be able to do; access all ATF information on a person, by inputting their social security number (SSN), or if a business the employer identification number (EIN). They also want to be able to keep track of what guns a SOT has when they go out. It also indicates that ATF keeps track of the CLEO who provided the certification for a NFA transfer to an individual. The FTS database is presumably the information from the bound books and 4473's of out-of-business dealers ATF has been computerizing at their West Va. location.] [KEY: FLS = Federal Licensing System (firearms and explosives licensing data); NFRTR = National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record; FEIS = Firearms and Explosives Imports System; AFMER = Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Exportation Report; FTS = Firearms Tracing System] FIREARMS AND EXPLOSIVES DATA INTEGRATION MEETING Martinsburg, WV November 9-10, 1994 ATTENDEES: Terry Cates, Chief, Firearms and Explosives Regulatory Division Jerry Nunziata, SAC, Firearms Tracing Center Carmen Lewis, Chief, Firearms and Explosives Imports Branch Tony Haynes, Chief, Firearms and Explosives Licensing Center Lavonda Parker, Asst. Chief, Firearms and Explosives Licensing Center Tom Busey, Chief, National Firearms Act Branch Jeff Heckel, Firearms Tracing Center Gerry Crispino, Firearms Tracing Center Shelia Fitzgerald, Information Services Division Steve Weinberg, Information Services Division Colleen Davis, Firearms Tracing Center Dave Kreigbaum, Firearms Tracing Center Tom Fazio, ICF Information Technology, INC. Sarah Defnet, ICF Information Technology, INC. Lee Alston-Williams, Firearms and Explosives Operations Branch PURPOSE: The NFRTR is an antiquated system. Quality reviews have not been performed on the system. The data has not been reviewed since 1985. Two months ago an error rate of 50% was found. Since then the error rate has been reduced to 2% for common errors. The NFRTR has to be rewritten into DB2 format. This provides the opportunity not only to make some decisions about the NFRTR, but to also address the needs of the Firearms and Explosives Regulatory Division and the Firearms Tracing Center. The purpose of this meeting is to address the following issues: * How are we going to fix the NFRTR? * What is "do-able?" * The Tracing Center would like to expand access to the tracing data to all ATF employees with a need to know information being captured. How can this be accomplished and still maintain the integrity of the data? * How and can we effectively integrate related systems, such as, the NFRTR, FEIS, AMFER, [sic] FLS and Tracing? [page 2] ISSUES: Areas of Commonality NFRTR LIFS FEIS AFMER FTS NAME AND/OR TRADENAME * * * * * ADDRESS * * * * * UNIQUE IDENTIFIER * * * * * MICROFILM * * * * * CURRENT OWNER * * * * * RESPONSIBLE PERSON * * * * * ENTITY TYPE * * * * * FFL NUMBER * * * * * TELEPHONE NUMBER * * * * * DATES * * * * * TELEPHONE NUMBER * * * * * CRIMINAL HISTORY * * * * WEAPONS DESCRIPTION * * * * TAX STATUS * * * * Premises TYPE * * * CLEO * * * SERIAL NUMBER * * * OUT OF BUSINESS * * * * FEES OR TAXES * * * [page 3] PROBLEM AREAS: NFRTR: * Conversion to DB2 tables must be completed by January 1995 * Complete address is not presently being captured * Inadequate field edits * System is not user friendly * Complete history of weapon not being capture, [sic] i.e., from original manufacture to subsequent remanufacture or sale * Need to establish standard weapons type codes (to be used in all systems) * Tax status (class and year) need to be made available while viewing record * EIN or SSN should be required as an alienate key field * Tracking system is to be developed to reflects the disposition of the weapons of NFA dealers going out of business * Needs to be able to quickly retrieve the status of any form coming into the branch * Need user friendly ad hoc query capability * Link established between FLS and NFRTR to retrieve licensee information [page 4] FEIS: * Link should be established between FEIS and NFRTR so that NFA weapons imported can be tracked for timely registration in the NFRTR * Three character weapons type code should be converted to a two character field * EIN or SSN should be required as an alienate key field * Common weapons table should be developed for shared use by all systems, where applicable * Investigate the idea of sending gross values of imported weapons and AFMER information along with yearly FFL renewal reports * Use standard NCIC State and Country codes * Carmen will investigate the requirements for explosives importation and the information currently available * Needs to be able to quickly retrieve the status of any form coming into the branch * Need user friendly ad hoc query capability. * Double entry verification of certain fields such as name, SSN, EIN, etc. [page 5] FLS: * Use standard NCIC State and Country codes * Carmen will investigate the requirements for explosives importation and the information currently available * Needs to be able to quickly retrieve the status of any form coming into the branch * Need user friendly ad hoc query capability * Double entry verification of certain fields, such as name, SSN, EIN, etc. [page 6] SHARED PROBLEMS: * Data fields need to be restructure to facilitate query capability and to minimize error rate, example, the name field should consist of the following components: last name, first name, middle name, last name suffix * The five major processes should be tracked: 1) Receipt of document 2) Pre-review 3) Qualification 4) Action (approve or deny) 5) Notification * Common storage of shared information, i.e., EIN/SSN, Names, Tradename, etc. * Existing data need to be purified * Systems and procedures established for electronic data exchange i.e. uploading and downloading of information from industry members * Record search capabilities SOFTWARE COMPUTER NEEDS: Window Based Front End Direct connection between PC and DB2 Access to all databases Ad hoc query capability using multiple tables Computer Hardware Requirements: PC's (How many? What type? To whom?) [The last page of this document is a flow chart that graphically depicts being able to use a SSN or EIN to access all of the databases discussed, at once, based on the SSN or EIN entered.]