Jim Zammillo (Ret.)
Ponte Nuovo Consulting, LLC
FFLGuard Director of Compliance, Emeritus
Mr. Zammillo became part of the FFLGuard Program in 2011 and retired from the Program in 2022. As the principal of Ponte Nuovo Consulting, a consulting firm dedicated to work within the firearms industry with a focus on promoting public safety, Mr. Zammillo now serves as FFLGuard’s Director of Client Compliance, Emeritus. His consulting work comes after a 42-year career at the ATF in various capacities.
In January 2003, Mr. Zammillo was appointed Chief, Firearms Programs Division within the BATF. In this capacity, he was responsible for all of BATF’s firearms programs including the Integrated Violence Reduction Strategy and the BATF’s integration of this as a component of Project Safe Neighborhood. He was also responsible for oversight of the National Firearms Act, Brady, NIBIN, Firearms Technology and International Branches while serving in this role.
Mr. Zammillo was named Deputy Assistant Director Industry Operations (Field Operations) in March 2004. As the DAD IO (FO), he was responsible for oversight of industry in the BATF’s 25 nationwide field divisions, and served as an advisor to the Assistant Director for Field Operations, the Deputy Director of BATF, and BATF Director himself regarding all inspection programs.
During his tenure as the DAD IO (FO), Mr. Zammillo led the transition to information driven and focused inspection programs that were standardized nationwide. He recognized the critical partnership needed with the firearms industry to prevent the diversion of firearms from legal commerce and instituted levels of transparency regarding BATF inspection programs that had not previously been seen. He believes very strongly in eliminating the “fear of the unknown” and that transparency of BATF operations would eliminate this fear. The time period from 2004 until his retirement in January 2010 also evidenced new outreach within ATF HQ Field Operations to industry associations and industry members to promote partnership, common goals, and elimination of firearms issue polarization.
An alumnus of Marist College, Mr. Zammillo received his Bachelor’s degree in mathematics from in June 1968 – the same month that he began his career with the BATF as an Inspector.