You can't tell me DOGE didn't have something to do with this...

[Socorro27]

We all know why Federal employees are sometimes less than helpful, sometimes rude - the reason is (until now) it is (was) almost impossible to fire them.

My gun shop called on Thursday and said my can had arrived. I came in, did the photo, the fingerprints, and they asked me to enroll using their eFile computer. I got stuck at the home address - the ATF computer did not have my city & zip code combination. Gun store told me that I'd have to wait - said to call ATF and get them to update their computer. I asked how long would they think it might take. He shrugged his shoulders, "A month, two months, maybe 6." If it takes longer than a month, come back and we'll file a congressional inquiry.

I went home, called the NFA department and spoke to a nice lady. She directed me to email the eForms department with a description and she gave me their email. I did this on the same Thursday I visited the gun shop. At 6 pm on Sunday (72 hours later but only 24 hours "business days") I got an email saying that my zip code had been added. Email from ATF at dinner time on a Sunday? Really? For a request put in on Thursday late afternoon.

I went back to the gun store the next day on the following Monday. The guys at the gun store couldn't believe that not only was it done in 2 days, but done over a weekend. I joked, "Maybe that zip code correction was a bullet point for Musk." Everyone laughed.

So we filed my form IV, using a trust, on Monday. I asked again, "How long?" Gun store owner told me that trust applications are running about 1 to 2 months.

Today, 3 days later, Thursday, exactly 1 week later after I emailed asking my zip code to be changed, and 72 hours after I filed my trust Form IV, today it came to my email - approved!

I went back to the gun store today and they told me that I'm the third or 4th person today and a half dozen yesterday, they said everyone's forms are getting approved all of the sudden. The gun store owner also told me that one applicant forgot an address and rather than reject the form as they usually do, they emailed him and asked him to correct and re-send and they would hold his place in line. He said that's new.

You have to wonder, if the belief is that there will be layoffs, and every reviewer wants to save their job, what better way than clearing their desk and asking their boss for more work? I can't help but think that the fear of layoff is kicking some of these Federal workers and contractors into a new work ethic.

I've already gotten home and put some rounds through the new can.

I'm just astounded, I got ATF to correct their website and get my approved form IV back in 1 week (5 business days). Incredible.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

There were changes before the election which sped up the process time a lot. So, I would not contribute this to recent events.

 

[tommy.duncan]

There were changes before the election which sped up the process time a lot.

Only if filing as an individual, the wait time is still long if using a trust.

 

[dogtown tom]

Only if filing as an individual, the wait time is still long if using a trust.

Not true. A year ago, FBI NICS changed how they prioritized background checks for NFA firearms. Now they treat NFA the same as Title I firearm background checks, resulting in dramatically faster approvals for individuals and trusts.
My fastest ever eForm 4 Individual 17 hours 34 min.
Fastest eForm 4 Trust 19 hours from certification to approval.

While some trusts eForms may take longer, its not because they are trusts, but because of the number of Responsible Persons listed on that trust. The most popular trust in the country is the Single Shot Trust sold by Silencer Shop. It is submitted with only one name.....meaning the FBI background check is identical to an individual. If you have a traditional trust with multiple members your odds of a delay greatly increase.

 

[tommy.duncan]

Not true. A year ago, FBI NICS changed how they prioritized background checks for NFA firearms. Now they treat NFA the same as Title I firearm background checks, resulting in dramatically faster approvals for individuals and trusts.
My fastest ever eForm 4 Individual 17 hours 34 min.
Fastest eForm 4 Trust 19 hours from certification to approval.

While some trusts eForms may take longer, its not because they are trusts, but because of the number of Responsible Persons listed on that trust. The most popular trust in the country is the Single Shot Trust sold by Silencer Shop. It is submitted with only one name.....meaning the FBI background check is identical to an individual. If you have a traditional trust with multiple members your odds of a delay greatly increase.

Sorry,I work at a class 3 gun store, trust forms are much slower then individual filings.
I see it every day.

 

[hso]

You have to wonder, if the belief is that there will be layoffs, and every reviewer wants to save their job, what better way than clearing their desk and asking their boss for more work? I can't help but think that the fear of layoff is kicking some of these Federal workers and contractors into a new work ethic.

Nope

As stated before it is the work that the suppressor industry did with ATF, the streamlining of process, and the improvement of service that results. My can submitted on eForms on Black Friday at Thanksgiving was approved my Tuesday 0600. That's over a major government holiday that nearly no fed employee that isn't in a critical role works.

You're just seeing coincidence now because it has been going FAST since before November last year. We've even had posts about it last year.

 

[dogtown tom]

Sorry,I work at a class 3 gun store, trust forms are much slower then individual filings.
I see it every day.

Sorry, I see it every day as well.
80% of my eForm 4's are to trusts and they take no longer than those to individuals.

Of my customers using a trust, 90% used the Silencer Shop Single Shot Trust. If your store isn't submitting Single Shot, but a traditional trust that may be your issue.

 

[jmr40]

A year, or less, from now DOGE will have one of 2 effects on firearms related sales.

#1 There will be so few people working it will take much longer to get anything done.

#2 There will no longer be any restrictions or background checks to purchase suppressors or other items currently restricted.

 

[Walkalong]

a traditional trust that may be your issue.

Could be, but my wife and I used our lawyer written trust, did the submission all digital, and my 9MM suppressor was approved in less than a week. That was a couple months ago. We did got through Silencer Shop, but used our trust.

 

[Sarge7402]

We all know why Federal employees are sometimes less than helpful, sometimes rude - the reason is (until now) it is (was) almost impossible to fire them.

My gun shop called on Thursday and said my can had arrived. I came in, did the photo, the fingerprints, and they asked me to enroll using their eFile computer. I got stuck at the home address - the ATF computer did not have my city & zip code combination. Gun store told me that I'd have to wait - said to call ATF and get them to update their computer. I asked how long would they think it might take. He shrugged his shoulders, "A month, two months, maybe 6." If it takes longer than a month, come back and we'll file a congressional inquiry.

I went home, called the NFA department and spoke to a nice lady. She directed me to email the eForms department with a description and she gave me their email. I did this on the same Thursday I visited the gun shop. At 6 pm on Sunday (72 hours later but only 24 hours "business days") I got an email saying that my zip code had been added. Email from ATF at dinner time on a Sunday? Really? For a request put in on Thursday late afternoon.

I went back to the gun store the next day on the following Monday. The guys at the gun store couldn't believe that not only was it done in 2 days, but done over a weekend. I joked, "Maybe that zip code correction was a bullet point for Musk." Everyone laughed.

So we filed my form IV, using a trust, on Monday. I asked again, "How long?" Gun store owner told me that trust applications are running about 1 to 2 months.

Today, 3 days later, Thursday, exactly 1 week later after I emailed asking my zip code to be changed, and 72 hours after I filed my trust Form IV, today it came to my email - approved!

I went back to the gun store today and they told me that I'm the third or 4th person today and a half dozen yesterday, they said everyone's forms are getting approved all of the sudden. The gun store owner also told me that one applicant forgot an address and rather than reject the form as they usually do, they emailed him and asked him to correct and re-send and they would hold his place in line. He said that's new.

You have to wonder, if the belief is that there will be layoffs, and every reviewer wants to save their job, what better way than clearing their desk and asking their boss for more work? I can't help but think that the fear of layoff is kicking some of these Federal workers and contractors into a new work ethic.

I've already gotten home and put some rounds through the new can.

I'm just astounded, I got ATF to correct their website and get my approved form IV back in 1 week (5 business days). Incredible.

View attachment 1255136

No you are probably right. Had a VA hearing aid go out and from call to VA to getting hearing aid back less than 30 days

 

[dogtown tom]

Could be, but my wife and I used our lawyer written trust, did the submission all digital, and my 9MM suppressor was approved in less than a week. That was a couple months ago. We did got through Silencer Shop, but used our trust.

Clearly impossible because trusts are much slower.

 

[Lennyjoe]

Mine took exactly 49 hours from eFile submittal to approval last week.

 

[dogtown tom]

Received an approval this morning for an eForm 4 Single Shot Trust...........6 days 12 hours.

 

[Hoser]

I have had two form 4 trusts of my own come back in 16 and 14 calendar days.

 

[AlexanderA]

A year, or less, from now DOGE will have one of 2 effects on firearms related sales.

#1 There will be so few people working it will take much longer to get anything done.

#2 There will no longer be any restrictions or background checks to purchase suppressors or other items currently restricted.

The #1 result is much more likely than #2. In addition, the remaining workers will be demoralized. It appears that the DOGE layoffs are not based on lack of performance (that would take too long to evaluate), but merely on lack of seniority (the last to be hired are the first to be fired).

 

[Capybara]

When one has been beaten into submission by decades of incompetence, bureaucracy and general hostility to gun owners, it's nice for things to work as they were intended, rather than as a roadblock.

 

[Gordon]

Are SBR and SBS approvals coming back fast too ? I think Ill get around to do a couple if Form 1 are.

 

[LV Gun]

The last gun I bought about 6 weeks ago the guy tells me to come down to the end of the counter they have a pad mounted to it. He tells me this is new for them and faster from the ATF. I fill everything out and he tells me it may take up to a couple days at the most since it’s new, I didn’t even make it home and they call me telling me I can come back and get my gun I was kind of surprised by it .

 

[SpeedyR]

my last can was Form 4 with my own trust (not a SS trust, but only myself on the trust) and filed via SS kiosk. Came back in 7 days. This was in February. My "batch" of three other cans with the same trust (and about 2 weeks earlier submission) took 4 weeks.

 

[madkiwi]

My efiled Form 4s for my Sterling Mk 5 (Sterling + integral suppressor) were sent on Nov. 12th and were approved Feb 5th.

I thought that was amazing considering in 2023 I submitted a paper Form 4 for a private transfer of a suppressor and that took 12 months.

This was on a custom (not cookie-cutter) gun trust.

 

[hso]

#2

NFA isnt going anywhere since there aren't enough votes in congress to amend it much less do away with it and you can't administratively do away with the restrictions written in the law. You can hope to make the check and approval process efficient enough to use an instacheck.

#1 There will be so few people working it will take much longer to get anything done.

That is possible. Cutting staff that have become efficient can hurt the processing times.

 

[jmorris]

.... you can't administratively do away with the restrictions written in the law.

I can still remember thinking that way myself.

 

[KKJ13]

I live just across the county line (river) from the address that auto populates on my address. Shop owner told me to ignore it, both went through in well under a week. If the AFT can’t get their computer correct, that’s on them to figure out my “mistake”.

 

[Elkins45]

My life experience has taught me that when someone begins a statement with “You can’t tell me…” then you shouldn’t even try.

 

[Barmcd]

My life experience has taught me that when someone begins a statement with “You can’t tell me…” then you shouldn’t even try.

That’s a fact.