wait time update (hint, it's now 10 months)

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greyling22

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I heard back from my congressman today. They weren't very helpful and said they cannot push constituents to the front of the line, but they did pass along the atf response letter to my request.

Good Morning _____,

ATF received an ATF Form 4 application for Mr. _______ on August 1, 2018. The processing time for a perfected ATF Form 4 application is at least 10 months due to a number of factors, to include; the implementation of the 41F Final Rule, which requires ATF to perform full criminal background checks on all individuals who are identified as a Responsible Persons of a trust or legal entity, there have been changes to various state laws which have in the past disallowed possession of certain NFA firearms and now those states are enacting legislation which would now allow possession and the volume of silencer transfers has increased tremendously. In fiscal year 2007, ATF processed nearly 66,736 NFA applications. In 2016, ATF received more than 379,410 applications, in 2017 ATF received 386,210 applications, and in 2018 ATF received 339,278 applications. Prior to the shutdown the processing time for ATF Form 4, was 7 months, however; at this time ATF is experiencing over a 125,000 backlog and therefore the processing time is expected to be in excess of 10 months. ATF has and will expeditiously continue to process these applications to reduce any existing backlog. An unperfected ATF Form 4 that needs corrections will take longer than 10 months to process.
At this time ATF is processing applications that were received in May 2018, therefore; Mr. ________ still has a few months pending.

according to reddit/nfa, people are receiving stamps that were submitted mid-may 2018.
 
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I put 2 form 4 in September figure 4 more months at least.
What they don't say is it's probably still the same number of examiners they had in 2007.
 
Where do you get the 10 months from? From August 2018 until March 2019 is only 7 months.

My check cashed Sept 10th. I’m not expecting it until maybey June or so. Wouldn’t even begin thinking to contact a congressman or senator until at least Sept 2019.

Hate to say it but we both have quite some time to go.

Dan
 
If they are processing May applications then I should be getting a call any day now (hopefully)!
 
The wait time is the greatest impediment to NFA purchases, far worse than the measly $200 transfer tax or the background check process. I'd love to add another MG to my collection, but the wait means that either I or the seller may be dead before the transfer is approved. It's not reasonable to tie up $25,000 waiting for Godot.

If suppressors and SBR's were taken out of the NFA, it would improve the wait times dramatically. The whole system is antiquated and crazy.
 
It isn't their job to expedite the process, just facilitate it.

10-12 months isn't bad. My M-16 took almost 24 months several years back.
 
My understanding is the bottlneck is the 10 or so people they have manually entering data, calling the FBI etc.

Your paperwork goes in, sits in a pile for months, then some lady who might be named Delores picks it up, enters all your handwritten info in a database, then contacts the FBI for a nics background check. E-file eleminaes Delores from the equation.

My understanding is also that the atf is not necessarily being malicious in their staffing, but rather that they have submitted a budget to Congress for more staff, and Congress has failed to pass a budget in years. They just keep passing these "emergency extensions" which is why they should all be fired. Yes, even your congressman whom you probably like ok. If the people w have elected cannot perform their basic function, then we need new ones. Perferaly people who are not lawyers, career politicians, millionires or bartenders.

I keep hearing rumors that e-file form 4 will go live late 2019, but who knows.....

And I could be wrong. I have not vioted the atf, this is just what I have heard from various internet sources.
 
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And for whatever it's worth (probably $00.00), my wait time was right at 10 months. Submission in May 2018 to suppressor in hand in March 2019.
 
My understanding is the bottlneck is the 10 or so people they have manually entering data, calling the FBI etc.

Your paperwork goes in, sits in a pile for months, then some lady who might be named Delores picks it up, enters all your handwritten info in a database, then contacts the FBI for a nics background check. E-file eleminaes Delores from the equation.

My understanding is also that the atf is not necessarily being malicious in their staffing, but rather that they have submitted a budget to Congress for more staff, and Congress has failed to pass a budget in years. They just keep passing these "emergency extensions" which is why they should all be fired. Yes, even your congressman whom you probably like ok. If the people w have elected cannot perform their basic function, then we need new ones. Perferaly people who are not lawyers, career politicians, millionires or bartenders.

I keep hearing rumors that e-file form 4 will go live late 2019, but who knows.....

And I could be wrong. I have not vioted the atf, this is just what I have heard from various internet sources.

The funny thing is for that all many people in the gun community like to crap on the ATF, almost everyone seems to report that the Firearms Branch folks are actually pretty great.
 
Just yesterday, 3/21/19, I spoke with one of the nice ladies at the ATF.
She told me the form 4 approvals were running at 9 months.
So, I'm thinking I have another month to go, check cashed July 10th, 2018.
 
I called yesterday (4.10.19) for my three stamps that had checks cashed on 4.8.18
I was told still pending with the FBI. These are stamps 4, 5, and 6
I am at 368 days and waiting at the moment
 
I got my 2 Form 4s in hand May 7th that had been mailed April 20th 2018. They cashed the check April 26th, approval date was Apr. 30th so my approval was actually 369 days.

I had called in November (before the shutdown) and was told "pending FBI background check". In March I called again and it was still at the FBI.
 
Update.....
Rugged Obsidian 45, form 4 individual
Check cashed 7/13/18
Approved 4/19/19
In hand 4/29/19
Just over 9 months total time.
 
My understanding is the bottlneck is the 10 or so people they have manually entering data, calling the FBI etc.

Your paperwork goes in, sits in a pile for months, then some lady who might be named Delores picks it up, enters all your handwritten info in a database, then contacts the FBI for a nics background check. E-file eleminaes Delores from the equation.

My understanding is also that the atf is not necessarily being malicious in their staffing, but rather that they have submitted a budget to Congress for more staff, and Congress has failed to pass a budget in years. They just keep passing these "emergency extensions" which is why they should all be fired. Yes, even your congressman whom you probably like ok. If the people w have elected cannot perform their basic function, then we need new ones. Perferaly people who are not lawyers, career politicians, millionires or bartenders...

This is important for those who like to give the ATF grief over the wait (and I waited over a year last time). Congress has made via law as well as appropriation the entire concept off regulations on firearms political in ways that hurt us NFA nerds. Hasn't had a staffing increase in like 20 years despite a huge growth in what they process, and specifically forbidden from computerizing anything, so it's all paper with no change in efficiency allowed. Etc.

Many of the staff have, for appropriations reasons, been contract positions so during the shutdown I hear that many of them wafted off into the wind. But, very minor good news:

"The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives NFA Branch plans to spend $13.2 million and add 25 new positions during Fiscal Year 2019 for additional equipment, software updates, contract support and NFA system modernizations. The enhancements are expected to reduce processing time for NFA applications to within a 90-day timeframe."

I'll believe it when I see it, but 90 days for everything would be nice.
 
Yes but as 10 month average has turned into an 11 month average I'm losing patience with the whole process.
 
Your 10 months in now. You can’t be that far away. It’s just part of playing the NFA game. The next few months will go by wether you like it or not.

My check cashed Sept 10th so I’m not far behind you. I remember putting down the cash for the M16 I’m currently waiting on nearly a year ago and thinking I’d have it by the 4th of July. Not looking likely at all now.

Is this your first NFA purchase? I’m at around 20 or so stamps now so I guess I’m just used to it. I’ve had them take anywhere from 2 months to 14 months.

Dan
 
Yes but as 10 month average has turned into an 11 month average I'm losing patience with the whole process.
This is turning into a de facto ban on NFA items. Maybe younger people have more patience, but I'm 74 years old and I may be dead before a transfer is approved. Or, the seller may be dead. Or, the seller may go bankrupt and disappear. And, at least in the case of MG's, it's not an insignificant amount of money that is tied up.
 
My understanding is also that the atf is not necessarily being malicious in their staffing, but rather that they have submitted a budget to Congress for more staff, and Congress has failed to pass a budget in years. They just keep passing these "emergency extensions" which is why they should all be fired. Yes, even your congressman whom you probably like ok. If the people w have elected cannot perform their basic function, then we need new ones. Perferaly people who are not lawyers, career politicians, millionires or bartenders.

For obvious reasons congress isn't going to vote term limits on themselves.

The only recourse anyone has is to vote the incumbent out of office. I'm doing my part to make politics a temporary job. People get the gov't they deserve, at least in this country. WTH would we want more ATF agents? Why not less restrictions and smaller gov't?
 
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Your 10 months in now. You can’t be that far away. It’s just part of playing the NFA game. The next few months will go by wether you like it or not.

My check cashed Sept 10th so I’m not far behind you. I remember putting down the cash for the M16 I’m currently waiting on nearly a year ago and thinking I’d have it by the 4th of July. Not looking likely at all now.

Is this your first NFA purchase? I’m at around 20 or so stamps now so I guess I’m just used to it. I’ve had them take anywhere from 2 months to 14 months.

Dan


Nah, this is #3.
#1 took 5 months, #2 took 18 days, #3 started the form 3 in March of '18, the form 4 Aug of '18. I was really hoping it would be approved in time for my pig hunt next week. Oh well. Now I'm trying to decide if #4 should be a true rifle can or another pistol can that can work on a rifle in a pinch..... Or try to build a form 1 can, efile it, and get approval in a month.
 
I was talking to my FFL when I ordered my suppressor last week and he mentioned that he has seen a few times in the past couple weeks were people who had multiple items in NFA jail all came through at the same time. He said he isn't getting his hopes up but it it was enough for him to think that they were pulling all applications for a person when they first one is approved instead of waiting to get to them all individually.
 
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