Firearms Education: ATF Should Use Performance Metrics and Information to Evaluate and Manage Outreach Campaign

What GAO Found Since 2000, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) have managed and launched the Don’t Lie for the Other Guy campaign across various cities in the U.S. The campaign is intended to educate the public about the legal consequences of “straw purchases”—when someone who is prohibited from buying a firearm has someone else (a “straw buyer”) make the purchase for them. The campaign also educates federal firearms licensees (FFLs)—which include individuals or businesses that have obtained a federal firearm license to sell, manufacture, or import firearms—on how to identify and stop illegal straw purchases. ATF seeks to inform the public about these campaigns by conducting press conferences and advertising the campaign’s message. NSSF provides FFL retailers with training and education materials. In fiscal years 2023 through 2025, ATF launched at least 20 campaigns across the U.S. and expended over $870,000 each year to support them. ATF used most of the campaign funding to pay for costs associated with hiring a marketing firm to produce, advertise, and distribute campaign marketing materials, as well as costs associated with the use of digital ads and streaming audio. Examples of Don’t Lie for the Other Guy Campaign Marketing Materials ATF has established three broad program goals for the Don’t Lie for the Other Guy campaign. ATF also collects and tracks metrics for the campaign. However, as of June 2026, the agency has not used those metrics to fully assess progress towards meeting the campaign’s broader program goals, or to better inform programmatic decisions such as resource allocation. By developing measurable performance goals and using this performance information to assess progress towards achieving the campaign’s broader program goals, ATF will be in a better position to evaluate the campaign and make important management and resource allocation decisions, such as which marketing efforts are more cost-effective at increasing public awareness. According to ATF and NSSF officials, ATF does not manage or provide any federal funding for the Operation Secure Store firearms industry education and outreach campaign. These officials stated that NSSF manages and provides sole funding for this campaign, which provides FFLs with educational materials to help identify potential security risks and ways to deter and prevent thefts of firearms stored at FFL retail locations. During GAO’s review, ATF updated the agency’s public facing website to correct information about ATF’s role in NSSF’s Operation Secure Store campaign. Why GAO Did This Study According to a 2024 Department of Justice report, one of the most common sources of illegally trafficked firearms are straw purchases. While legislation has been passed to attempt to prevent these types of purchases, FFLs play an important role in safeguarding the public by helping to prevent straw purchasing. ATF issues and renews FFL licenses and investigates potential noncompliance with federal laws and regulations. ATF also works with firearms industry groups such as NSSF to deliver firearms education and outreach campaigns. GAO was asked to review ATF’s work with the firearms industry on education and outreach to better understand the impact of these campaigns. This report provides information about ATF’s role and federal funding provided for two such firearms education and outreach campaigns—Don’t Lie for the Other Guy and Operation Secure Store— including whether the efficacy of these campaigns has been evaluated. To conduct this work, GAO reviewed ATF program documentation, assessed funding data from fiscal year 2023 through fiscal year 2025, and interviewed ATF officials and firearms industry representatives. GAO compared actions taken to monitor and assess the campaign against selected key practices for evaluating the effectiveness of media campaigns and evidence-based policymaking.

Firearms Education: ATF Should Use Performance Metrics and Information to Evaluate and Manage Outreach Campaign

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