ATF needs more time??

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marnesoldier

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Two days ago I purchased a KEL TEC PLR 16 from a local store here in Georgia. I passed the background check and took it home right away.

I tried shooting the gun yesterday and discovered it would not fire. Not even a light primer strike.

This morning I took it back to the gun store and they offered a refund. Which I did and turned around and attempted to purchase a Smith and Wesson MP 40 pistol. However, the ATF said there will be a hold and they will get back to me by Sept 17th, next week.

Does anyone know why I am having to wait for a background check to be done for an entire week? When just two days ago I was able to pass it and take the gun home immediately.


It is noteworthy that my legal status is the same as it was two days ago, which is I am still a law abiding US citizen.
 
Betcha it has "something" to do with multiple handguns inside 48 hours.
And as usual, they don't have to`splain anything.
 
The FBI has been having multiple issues with an update to the NICS system this week.
 
I am paranoid enough to think that just every once in a while they want to let us know Who Is In Charge. Computer outages, mystery "holds", or just hanging you up to show you they can?
 
Yeah, like the other guys said... NICS issues this week and you "buying" handguns back to back. A little over 25 years ago, I purchased 5 handguns in one month. 3 of 'em on the same day. A week later, "they" were staking out my house. I am not kidding. Still don't know who "they" were nor do I want to know, but they were there for 3 days. Granted, I lived in Chicago at the time...
 
I am paranoid enough to think that just every once in a while they want to let us know Who Is In Charge. Computer outages, mystery "holds", or just hanging you up to show you they can?
Click to expand...

What Mr. Watson said. Underpaid, frustrated, and low preforming Civil Servants at their best.
 
MEHavey Betcha it has "something" to do with multiple handguns inside 48 hours.
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Highly doubtful.
FBI NICS is prohibited by Federal law from retaining approved transaction information beyond the end of the NICS business day.

there is no Federal law that prohibits a buyer from buying 1,000 handguns in any time period, much less two in 48 hours.
 
"Delay" response on NICS check due to multiple handgun purchases within five days. First business day is Friday. Second is Monday. Third is Tuesday, and if it doesn't come back "denied" they can transfer it to you on Wednesday the 17th of September. There is nothing amiss here, this is how the law works.
 
Thank you for the insight everyone. I didnt know how it worked so having bought one and returned it for exchange baffled me. I guess they dont tell them that i returned the other gun because it didnt work.
 
I was denied twice in one week just a few days ago. Nothing to be alarmed about. When they don't let you on a flight that's the time to start thinking you might have a problem. Been there, messed up my whole day.
 
There's some suspicion that, while the FBI asks for a substantial amount of identifying information, their quick check search function keys only off names, and that a problem with someone with the same name (or Soundex equivalent) flags everyone with a similar name.

I wouldn't be particularly surprised if it was true; the local PD used to have, or subscribe to, a similar system, which caused me a certain amount of personal trouble. There were five people in my town with the same name; three of them were repeat felons. So any interaction with the PD led to me having to prove who I *wasn't*. <sigh>
 
I posted this on another similar thread, but it sounds like your issue is normal wait times given your situation.

Anyone getting worried about these persistent "out of service" situations with the FBI NICS? For "changes" and "upgrades" that weren't supposed to interrupt service, this is the third day of interruptions.
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As a government employee, I can vouch for the fact that EVERY time there is an "update", "improvement", or "fix/patch" to a government computer system, there are MAJOR problems that sometimes take days to fix, if not longer.

Why is that? Because the government has a policy of accepting the "lowest acceptable bid" on all of their commercial items (computer systems and programs qualify) and are often cursed with sub standard products as a result.

I have no doubt NICS operates the same. The Federal Acquisitions Regs (FAR) are supposed to help prevent wasteful spending and allow everyone a chance to compete for federal contracts. The unfortunate part is that often inferior products and services are allowed in because they are cheap. It also means outdated hardware is used far longer than it should be. For example, I got a new computer this spring. My old one was from 2007. You want to have some fun? Try running newer high powered programs with "security this" and "authorization that" on a computer that old, and continue to be an efficient employee.

Bottom line..... We are all victims of our own good intentions, and laws make it difficult to fix that. Give NICS more time, and issues will be resolved.
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Be patient. Government computer updates are a major pain for anyone involved.

Also, be aware of the "working days" involved with purchases, as others have indicated.
 
Onward Allusion said:
yeah, like the other guys said... Nics issues this week and you "buying" handguns back to back. A little over 25 years ago, i purchased 5 handguns in one month. 3 of 'em on the same day. A week later, "they" were staking out my house. I am not kidding. Still don't know who "they" were nor do i want to know, but they were there for 3 days. Granted, i lived in chicago at the time...
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Maybe they wanted to see if you were bringing your purchases into the city or storing them outside Chicago city limits (as I'm sure you were) since new handguns were effectively banned in Chicago back then.

I would have called 911 and reported a "suspicious" car with possible peepers inside . . . and taken pictures of them myself . . . but that's just me. :evil:
 
I am kind of like TRX, I had a security clearance held up because a punk of similar name in the next county had declined to show up for his court date.
It's a wonder the government ever gets anything done.
 
.
Be glad your delay is only about a week. Out here in California! we have a "One handgun per 30 days" rule. So...



I am paranoid enough to think that just every once in a while they want to let us know Who Is In Charge. Computer outages, mystery "holds", or just hanging you up to show you they can?
Click to expand...
What Mr. Watson said. Underpaid, frustrated, and low preforming Civil Servants at their best.
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Relax.
 
oldbear said:
What Mr. Watson said. Underpaid, frustrated, and low preforming Civil Servants at their best.
Click to expand...

Underpaid? Underpaid? Really? Really?

Do you understand that the "average" Fed pulls down 6 figures?

Are you aware that the ONLY SMA (Statistical Metro Area, used to define consumer markets) in the country where the average family can afford to BUY a new car is Washington, DC? (please note that the care "prices" you see on TV now are leases ... not purchases)
 
That is the standard 3 Business days on a delay. (they don't count the first day, the don't count weekends) 12, 15, 16 .... you can pick up on the 17th if no further action.

Of course, if it comes back as a "proceed" prior to that you can pick it up then.
 
Underpaid? Underpaid? Really? Really?

Do you understand that the "average" Fed pulls down 6 figures?
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This is totally off topic, and I apologize for diverting. The AVERAGE salary may be 6 figures, but that is heavily skewed by "secretary of this", and "head of that agency" salaries that are in fact very high. Those folks get paid large amounts of money, and yes, those high paid folks are typically centered in DC. This number is often used by the media, and by folks who insist that ALL government employees are overpaid because it sounds dramatic.

If you want to know what feds are making, you really need to consider the median salary. Most of us are just average working Joe's, and aren't getting rich by any means. I'm not saying we are under paid, but please don't buy into the media and political hype that paints all feds as a bunch of fat cats that are laughing all the way to the bank. We aren't. Some are, but they are the minority. The rest of us save, save, and save some more, just like in the private sector with the hope that we can retire some day in relative comfort.

"Average" is a term that can be so heavily influenced by large or small numbers because it samples 100% of a population and includes all the outliers, that it is largely useless when looking at salaries that include thousands upon thousands of people, and is not by any means a linear scale.

Are the people working at NICS over paid? Maybe. They might be under paid for all we know. But a blanket statement is a poor basis for........ well, anything really.

Back to your regularly scheduled program........
 
jrmiddleton425 "Delay" response on NICS check due to multiple handgun purchases within five days.
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FBI NICS does not delay transactions because of multiple sales. I've run 200 plus transfers that were the second or third handgun in less than a week.......ZERO were delayed.
 
About 5pm today the shop called me and said that my background cleared. I was able to pick up my pistol today and take it home.
 
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