News

Read The Latest News

Acoustic Evidence

As SVP of Forensic Services at SoundThinking, I talked a lot about the value of acoustic evidence. It also gave me the pleasure ...
Read More →

A Rogue and Vagabond

Perhaps “Lock Me Up” would’ve been a better title than “Where is GizWop?” for this song. J’Quan Baker can’t stay out of trouble. ...
Read More →

In Hard Copy

Received my hard copies in the mail. ICYMI, my article on silencers was published in American University Washington College of Law’s The Criminal ...
Read More →

Snowstorm Burritos

This is a story about great legal training. But it starts with a snowstorm and McDonald’s breakfast burritos. Monday, March 3, 2014. Federal ...
Read More →

AP on Straw Purchases

“Thomas Chittum, a former ATF official and a University of Nevada-Las Vegas adjunct law professor, said the relationship between federal authorities and gun ...
Read More →

CNB Economic Advisory Board

I was invited to be on Citizens National Bank of Somerset’s 2026 Economic Advisory Committee. Very cool of Shawn Daugherty to think of ...
Read More →

Evolving Legal Definition of “Firearm”

How is an inline muzzleloader like a taser? Read “The Evolving Legal Definition of ‘Firearm’” to find out. Thanks to the University of ...
Read More →

Don’t Go It Alone

Summer 1997. I walked into Pam’s No. 1 (IYKYK). I walked out a member of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association. I’ve belonged ...
Read More →

Nancy Guthrie Search

I joined Chris Jansing today to discuss potential leads investigators may be following in the search for Nancy Guthrie. Terrible situation. My heart ...
Read More →

Warlocker Podcast

We covered a lot in this 90-minute podcast. —ATF and its politics, and why I think the acronym could stand for “America’s Toughest ...
Read More →

Gunfire on NYE

It’s NYE. Don’t shoot!! I spoke to reporter Pat Loeb about America’s long history with celebratory gunfire. Listen to the KYW Newsradio story ...
Read More →

Arms in Ukraine

“Let me guess…this isn’t about the alcohol or tobacco.” That awesome line is delivered by the global arms dealer played by Nicolas Cage ...
Read More →

Making Bombs

I know how to build bombs. I could teach you (but I’d have to charge).* Is that legal? I read The Anarchist Cookbook ...
Read More →

He’s No Ocean’s 11!

A man brazenly robbed a casino in Las Vegas last month and fled on a bicycle. Ocean’s 11, he’s not! To help answer ...
Read More →

National Guard Ambush

I’ve always been a proud West Virginian so I was particularly upset to learn that the National Guard soldiers ambushed in DC were ...
Read More →

Porn or Mayberry?

I debated whether to start this post with the porn…or Andy Griffith. Mayberry won. I’ve always loved The Andy Griffith Show. There are ...
Read More →

Slang for “Gun”

I know a lot of slang terms for firearms: gat, heater, strap, piece, jammy, roscoe, iron, chopper, smoke wagon, hog leg. Those are ...
Read More →

A Modern Problem?

Gun crime feels like a modern problem. Some days it dominates headlines. But one of my favorite aspects of studying the law is ...
Read More →

USSC 2025 Amendments

Want to sell some illegal machinegun conversion devices? You should’ve done it yesterday. That’s because the United States Sentencing Commission’s 2025 amendments take ...
Read More →

No Body Armor for Violent Felons

The arrest described in this NY Post article presents an opportunity to highlight a subtle distinction in federal criminal law. The story notes ...
Read More →

The Dog-Owning Shooter

The case of this dog-owning shooter reveals something about California drug laws. San Francisco police responded to a ShotSpotter alert and found a ...
Read More →

SCOTUS, Drugs, and Guns

This is pretty exciting. SCOTUS is going to weigh in on marijuana users possessing firearms. We could use some clarity on how far ...
Read More →

Firearms & Estate Planning

When it comes to estate planning, guns are not like jewelry or tools. Instead, they raise a host of unique legal issues, including ...
Read More →

CNN: Investigation of Explosion

“‘The problem in this scene is that it is complete devastation,’ Chittum said.” I spoke with Rebekah Riess at CNN about the difficult, ...
Read More →

CNN: Tennessee Explosion

I spoke with CNN about the preliminary activities at the scene of the devastating explosion in Tennessee this morning, and the complications authorities ...
Read More →

Anniversary of 1-October

Yesterday was the eighth anniversary of the “1 October” Mass shooting in Las Vegas. I spoke with reporter Will Silverstein about its impact ...
Read More →

Securing Outdoor Venues

The nature of security threats evolve, and the strategies, tactics, and technologies for dealing with them must evolve, too. In the wake of ...
Read More →

MSNBC on Charlie Kirk’s Murder

I spoke with Chris Jansing about the firearm used to kill Charlie Kirk, the role of video and biological evidence, and some of ...
Read More →

USA Today on Kirk Murder Weapon

I’m sickened, and saddened for our Nation. Free speech and non-violence are not partisan issues. Regardless of one’s politics, anyone who values free ...
Read More →

Las Vegas Coverage of Minn. School Shooting

“Chittum’s expertise in firearms and law enforcement provides valuable insights into the complexities of the case.” Well that’s very flattering. I’m always grateful ...
Read More →

MSNBC Report on Minn. School Shooting

Terrible news in Minneapolis today. I spoke to MSNBC about some of the questions investigators will try to answer. Watch a clip of ...
Read More →

CNN: mental health & guns

“The Supreme Court has not ruled on the issue of red flag laws, which is still an emerging area of law, Chittum said.” ...
Read More →

CNN Story on NYC Shooting

There’s a lot of nuance to gun law. I spoke with CNN reporter Emma C. Tucker about mental health, private sales, licensing, and ...
Read More →

8 News Now: NYC Mass Shooting

In the wake of the terrible shooting in NYC this week, I spoke with investigative reporter Kyle Paine, on 8 News Now, to ...
Read More →

Restoring Gun Rights

“The devil is in the details—and this budget proposal is short on those,” said Thomas Chittum, a former associate director at the ATF. ...
Read More →

CBS News Report on DOJ Cuts

“No one becomes a seasoned investigator overnight.” I appeared on CBS News this evening with Scott McFarlane to offer my view on the ...
Read More →

No warrant for gun owner DNA

Police tackle two people and a gun falls to the floor. One is a felon, one isn’t. Whose is it? That’s the question ...
Read More →

Chittum Law is Live!

Tom Chittum is a world-class problem solver. His firm, Chittum Law, is built on his deep experience with investigations, government operations, federal law, ...
Read More →

Report: Mexican Cartels Fuel Firearms Trafficking

“It’s all that other context that you have to use to prove this thing that on paper appears legal was a crime,” Thomas ...
Read More →

CNN – Laura Coates Live

I appeared on CNN’s ‘Laura Coates Live’ to explain how forensics can connect firearms to crimes; whether 3D-printed guns make that harder; and ...
Read More →

Ghost guns ‘used more and more often,’ sheriff says

Like most places, Las Vegas has its share of illegal guns. I was happy to discuss one source of them in this piece ...
Read More →

The 80s’ Creepiest Song

Perhaps the creepiest song of the 1980s was “Into the Night.” The opening lyric: “She’s just 16 years old, leave her alone they ...
Read More →

Real-Time Crime Index Update

ICYMI (and are interested in better crime stats), here’s a link to a conversation I recently had with David Hatten about the Real ...
Read More →

Attempted Assassin Travels by Air

Here’s an interesting side note to this would-be assassin’s plan to kill a Supreme Court Justice: He carefully followed the law on traveling ...
Read More →

My LinkedIn Activity

For years now, I’ve been an active contributor of posts to LinkedIn that I hope were both engaging and informative. Now that I ...
Read More →

ATF’s National Firearms & Commerce Report

As I drafted the opening line of this post, I didn’t intend to make a pun…but there is a lot of mental firepower ...
Read More →

Garrity & Kalkines

Everyone knows ‘Miranda’ but if you know ‘Garrity’ and ‘Kalkines’ you were probably in (or investigated by) Internal Affairs. Not all investigations of ...
Read More →

Defense Attorneys Get a Bad Rap

Defense attorneys get a bad rap. I’ve said many times before that the men and women on the front lines of law enforcement ...
Read More →

Felons & Body Armor

This article by The Associated Press originally said, “It’s illegal under federal law for a convicted felon to buy body armor.” [See the ...
Read More →

History Repeats Itself

History repeats itself but each time it does, leadership determines the path it will take. Years ago, I attended Leadership & Command training ...
Read More →