eForm 1 versus eForm 4 processing times?

[Sistema1927]

Maybe a dumb question. Maybe I am missing something, but....

Does anyone have a clue why eForm 1 submissions can be approved in 60-90 days while eForm 4 submissions take 10 months or more? Is there a difference in the process? Are SBR's and suppressors that are manufactured by the submitter considered a priority over NFA items being purchased?

It makes no sense to me. I am at 9 months and counting waiting for an eForm 4 to be approved for my suppressor, and expect that my two eForm 1 braced pistol submissions will be approved in a few more days.

 

[dogtown tom]

Maybe a dumb question. Maybe I am missing something, but....

Does anyone have a clue why eForm 1 submissions can be approved in 60-90 days while eForm 4 submissions take 10 months or more?

Yes.
There is no transferor to check against existing entries in the Registry.

Is there a difference in the process?

Yes. See above.

The additional time is due to the volume of Form 4's vs Form 1's and amending Registry entries.

Are SBR's and suppressors that are manufactured by the submitter considered a priority over NFA items being purchased?

Nope.

It makes no sense to me. I am at 9 months and counting waiting for an eForm 4 to be approved for my suppressor, and expect that my two eForm 1 braced pistol submissions will be approved in a few more days.

The first three years I had my SOT, ATF would take weeks to approve a Form 3. It should have taken literally one minute to verify that my FFL was valid, that my SOT was current and minutes to record that info in the Registry. Now it takes a matterr of days, sometimes less than a day.

 

[Sistema1927]

@dogtown tom

Thanks for the explanation. Looks to me like the ATF is long overdo for an overhaul of their processes. For example, I submitted two eForm 1 submissions on 3/29, within minutes of each other. One came back yesterday (5/16), still waiting on the other. In an efficient system, both would have been flagged as being from the same submitter, and both would have been processed together, with the need for only one background/fingerprint check.

 

[dogtown tom]

@dogtown tom

Thanks for the explanation. Looks to me like the ATF is long overdo for an overhaul of their processes.

I know for a fact they have requested that of Congress. Congress seems unwilling.
The "overhaul" was the implementation of a new eForms system in December 2021. Underwhelming is the nicest thing I can say.
It's buggy, slow, illogical, poorly designed, poorly written, not user friendly and obviously a result of the lowest bidder.

I'm pretty sure a middle school kid with Windows 95 could do a better job.

For example, I submitted two eForm 1 submissions on 3/29, within minutes of each other. One came back yesterday (5/16), still waiting on the other. In an efficient system, both would have been flagged as being from the same submitter, and both would have been processed together, with the need for only one background/fingerprint check.

Happens weekly. In fact I just had a second approval for a guy who had his first approval last week. Both eForm 4's were submitted at the same time.