Call to NFA Branch

[RoscoeTurner]

Say what you will about ATF but the lady I dealt with at NFA Branch today was super nice. I believe she said her name was Mary.

 

I called NFA Branch to check on a transfer that was going long for a SOT to SOT transfer. I had been told by a source the transfer had gone into a problem status 16 Sep. The lady that answered the phone was very nice, asked for my name, the trade name of the transferring dealer and the serial number, within a few minutes she told me the transfer had been approved on the 21st. No problem at all to obtain the information.

 

 

 

 

[Robert Henley]

There's a lot of dedicated government employees, but some have tried to demonize government (they usually have some ulterior motive if you probe why) which has created a lot of unnecessary strife. That has become the American way. There's no difference in the people between the private sector and the public sector--both have good and some bad employees. Unfortunately, one rotten apple spoils the whole barrel.

[Devil Dog 1110]

I called them this afternoon to check on 2 Form 4's- the nice lady told me the waiting period is now 15 months from date of reciept of the application.

Wish I hadn't called!

[Robert Henley]

You know who to thank for the shutdown. I don't see how a 15 month wait for approval of a Form 4 can do anything but hurt NFA firearm and silencer sales. Who wants to wait that long? You'd have to want something awfully bad to want to wait that long to get it after paying for it. It might be good to damper prices--lower demand equals lower prices. I guess we'll see how it plays out.

[RoscoeTurner]

I seriously doubt a two week shutdown added much to a problem that has been years in the making.

[Sandman1957]

The worker Bees at th NFA Branch have always been great Americans. The issue is at the top, as in most organizations because they are political appointees. The struggles within the Govt btwn the Exectutive, Legislative and Judicial branches have resulted in policies that have negatively impacted the approval periods. What they can't legislate they are tying up in red tape. It is what it is. Keep this in minds as you cast your ballots. That's how we make our iimpact is when we vote. The other impact is the sheer volume of SBRs, suppressors etc and little to no gain in investigators. There case load must be overwhelming. Maybe one day the process can be improved. However, I'm not holding my breath. Would be nice to have a NFA category of licensed collectors with a sensible approval process.

Semper Fi,

Sandman1957

[Robert Henley]

It wasn't too long ago the transfer time was six months. What was the NFA staff explanation for 15 months now, if asked, following the reopening after the shutdown? Ceasing operations couldn't do anything but slow down, rather stop, the transfer process. Of course, a two week shutdown shouldn't translate into nine more months.

[wwiifirearms]

Maybe the proposed rule change on trusts has a flood of people sending in forms before the change?

If they were getting 10,000 forms per month and processing 8,000. The wait was 6 months when they had 48,000 forms in the queue. That was growing 2,000+ forms per month. Before the shutdown it was approaching 12 months (96,000 forms in the queue). Two week shutdown, adds start up time and admin time, meaning maybe 4 weeks of lost forms processing. Double the volume for the rule change rush, and you have 116,000 forms in the queue, that's 14.5 months of backlog. These numbers are just examples, but based on my memory of the ballpark numbers I read pre-shutdown and pre-proposed rule change.

[Devil Dog 1110]

What they did was change from pending date to recieving date which is a month or two earlier than pending date.

They were telling people 12 months from pending date before the shutdown so I guess it really hasn't changed that much - they have just changed the way they say it.

The wait time is not going to stop me if I find something "I gotta have"- it may even be nice if prices dip for a while.

[RoscoeTurner]

At a NFATCA meeting at Knob Creek five or six years ago the ATF briefing given predicted that if the current trends continued we would be where we are now. That being the case these long wait times come as no surprise. The increase level of forms being processed at that time were being driven by the suppressor and SBR bunch as it is now.

 

I remember a similar period in the late 80s or early 90s when the average time was reaching the 12 month mark. Things will settle down again and the processing time will go back to the level it was previously.

 

I don't mind the wait as long as I can be certain that at least the form is moving along in the process.

[Robert Henley]

RT, as I recall, you've got a SOT so, if correct, your wait time is dealer-to-dealer wait time (was 30 to 60 days for a Form 3 back when it took six months for a Form 4). How long is it taking now for a Form 3 SOT to SOT transfer? Maybe the current slowdown will help prompt a major change in the process for silencers, which must be the bulk of the transfers I'm guessing. As a non-SOT, if I buy something out-of-state (non C&R) it's got to go to my dealer and then from my dealer to me on a Form 4, so if it's taking 15 months for a Form 4 transfer then I'd have to add however many months for the Form 3 transfer to my dealer. Unless I buy in-state, or a C&R gun, I'm looking at close to two years (guessing it's taking longer than 30 to 60 days for the Form 3 transfer)? That ought to put a damper on things big time.

[RoscoeTurner]

The periods I was referencing above were for non SOT transfers.

 

My last SOT to SOT transfer which was approved Monday was just under five months. The five months includes a problem status and the government shut down. Without that it would have been closer to four months.

 

A year ago it was roughly five - ten days, I would have to check a F3 to be sure.

 

 

RT, as I recall, you've got a SOT so, if correct, your wait time is dealer-to-dealer wait time (was 30 to 60 days for a Form 3 back when it took six months for a Form 4). How long is it taking now for a Form 3 SOT to SOT transfer? Maybe the current slowdown will help prompt a major change in the process for silencers, which must be the bulk of the transfers I'm guessing. As a non-SOT, if I buy something out-of-state (non C&R) it's got to go to my dealer and then from my dealer to me on a Form 4, so if it's taking 15 months for a Form 4 transfer then I'd have to add however many months for the Form 3 transfer to my dealer. Unless I buy in-state, or a C&R gun, I'm looking at close to two years (guessing it's taking longer than 30 to 60 days for the Form 3 transfer)? That ought to put a damper on things big time.

[arch stanton]

I am getting form 3s back in two weeks approved using the Efile instead of the fax

[RoscoeTurner]

My last F3 was sent in the week before Efile started. Bad timing on my part.

 

 

I am getting form 3s back in two weeks approved using the Efile instead of the fax

[Speeddemon02]

My most recent form from dealer to dealer so I can start my form 4 was about 6 months and ended at the time of the shutdown. A couple of days after everyone returned to work the paperwork came in. But like wise this was started right before the eforms, so hoping the next part will go by in a more timely manner than what is being said.

[Robert Henley]

I guess this new Efile is just for dealers, i.e., Form 3's? Not for Form 4's?

 

I went in an registered for eForms at the following address:

 

https://www.atfonline.gov/EForms/faces/userProfile/login.jspx?_afrRedirect=25339409708035&_adf.ctrl-state=6xk5yhd64_356&_afrLoop=25339591776946

 

From a quick look at the eForm 4, it's only for use of dealers and other limitations.

Edited October 26, 2013 by Robert Henley

[wwiifirearms]

Any trust or corp can do a eForm 1, the others like Form 4 are for SOT FFL only.

[Grasshopper]

Hi Folks,

 

Just curious. Anyone have experience lately with Form 4 to out of state dealer? I just did a F3 dealer to dealer a month ago and it took only 30 days. Any experiences would be helpful.

 

Sincerely,

 

Grasshopper

[johnfreeman]

I seriously doubt a two week shutdown added much to a problem that has been years in the making.

^^^This ^^^^

 

It is however, a fat over the center of the plate excuse for all ills of a large bureacracy

[johnfreeman]

Any trust or corp can do a eForm 1, the others like Form 4 are for SOT FFL only.

But the SOT can do a Eform to a trust on a Form 4, but not to an individual.

[bbcode3]

^{eForm filed form 3's are taking about 1 month these days.}

 

^{eForm filed form 4's are taking around 3 months.}

 

^{These are just my experiences, for what it's worth.}

[wwiifirearms]

 

 

Any trust or corp can do a eForm 1, the others like Form 4 are for SOT FFL only.

But the SOT can do a Eform to a trust on a Form 4, but not to an individual.

That is correct. I haven't tried that yet, but when my suppressor arrives at my SOT FFL I plan to take my USB drive with all my documents and see if we can get the eForm Form 4 to work. I don't think my FFL has done one of these yet, but it should work.

[Tracer]

I called ATF today regarding the status of a Form 4 for a machine gun, submitted on paper in the name of a living trust last May. I was told that "it should be completed in April" -- 11 months.

[bbcode3]

From what I am seeing that is about right.

 

I called ATF today regarding the status of a Form 4 for a machine gun, submitted on paper in the name of a living trust last May. I was told that "it should be completed in April" -- 11 months.

[snipershot1944]

I have an M16 that went pending in September. A call to the ATF Monday indicated. 9-month turnaround.