What's Really Going On Here! NFA/ATF Forms

[Rossko85]

So...I have been reading that once your forms get sent back after they go problematic, and you submit them with the corrections, the corrected forms go straight to the examiner and don't wait in a pool so to speak. The examiner then reviews the form and approves it (or doesn't) and sends it back. I have been told by several FFL's and individuals that when it is in that process it only takes approximately 1-3 weeks to get the approved paper back. Well...I'm posting this here because I had the opportunity to be transferred to a woman that didn't identify her title, but had alllll the answers I was looking for; and my eyes have now been opened and I am little frustrated at this point, and I want to see if anyone else can verify this, or not?

The woman told me that regardless of trust or individual filing on a form 1 or 4 with paper, that it is approximately 7 months give or take for turn around from the ORIGINAL PENDING date. She also advised that when the corrected forms go out, that they are actually not from the examiner, but from a fielding/screening process of individuals that inspect the form for mistakes and kick it back with a control number! My form hasn't even been to the examiner she stated, and that it was going to be approximately 2 more months!!! So, apparently if you get forms back for corrections/problems they are not from the examiner and your corrected forms DO NOT go straight back to the examiner's desk...they go back into a pool for the examiner to look at eventually after they are reviewed again by the secret screening staff...Why am I picturing Santas workshop here when I talk about this!?? LOL . She did say that once the examiner actually looks at it at that point, it is usually approved. I guess the examiners really don't screen then so to speak?

I really just want the low-down on all of this...No one ever seems to have a straight answer in the FFL world or NFA branch...I don;t know who to believe, the trend graphs and info here, or the NFA branch LOL! A lot of people and FFL's have said that problem letters/forms go straight back to examiner...NO they go back to Santas little helpers, and then onto the examiner for approval...Mine has been in there since 10/07/2014 and pending awaiting an examiner...

Did any of you guys or gals know this is how they are doing things now?

 

[magic man]

Getting forms back in a few weeks would only happen with eforms. They are only set up for Form 1s at the moment and you have to have a trust.

I don't know enough to comment on any of the other info regarding corrections or screening.

 

[Drakkule]

I just had this kind of issue. I sold a NFA item on a form 4, there was a mistake on the form, it was sent back to me for correction, and I received it back approved in about 2 weeks. In this instance, the turn around was quite fast, but the whole process from the forms being sent in, until complete was around 10 months.

 

[Dead Duck]

This is how I've always pictured the place.

 

[Rossko85]

This is how I've always pictured the place.

That is totally right on I bet!! Great comparison! LOL

 

[Rossko85]

I just had this kind of issue. I sold a NFA item on a form 4, there was a mistake on the form, it was sent back to me for correction, and I received it back approved in about 2 weeks. In this instance, the turn around was quite fast, but the whole process from the forms being sent in, until complete was around 10 months.

OK..so see, I in fact received the forms back (my FFL did) approximately 5 months after my first pending date...so being on a trust through paper, this process does usually go a little faster (ATF says it doesn't, but from what the numbers show it does). I am just going off of the fact that my forms got kicked back for correction, and everyone telling me that when that happens, it is only a few weeks after that they approved...and it looks like it is right in line with your issue as well...

Did you just have a control number on your forms, or did you have an examiner at that point? I was told that when the papers are sent back for corrections that it is Santas helpers, not the actual "examiner" (we will call them the sub-examiners...I like Santas little helpers better...or Sam's little helpers!)

 

[jonny4523]

My case was a little bit different. So it may not mean a hill of beans.

I filed for an SBR via e-forms and had it kicked back for an error. I found the email address of a certain examiner on guntrustlawyer.com. I had to completely fill out a new form and submit it. But then I sent an email to this guy explaining my situation. I provided the control number for my old submission and for my new submission. IN ABOUT 30 MINUTES, I had an email from e-forms saying that my brand new submitted application had been approved.

So even though this isn't apples to apples with what you're dealing with, I did sent my corrected form straight to an examiner (the guy I sent it to was the name on my approved form as the examiner).

 

[Rossko85]

My case was a little bit different. So it may not mean a hill of beans.

I filed for an SBR via e-forms and had it kicked back for an error. I found the email address of a certain examiner on guntrustlawyer.com. I had to completely fill out a new form and submit it. But then I sent an email to this guy explaining my situation. I provided the control number for my old submission and for my new submission. IN ABOUT 30 MINUTES, I had an email from e-forms saying that my brand new submitted application had been approved.

So even though this isn't apples to apples with what you're dealing with, I did sent my corrected form straight to an examiner (the guy I sent it to was the name on my approved form as the examiner).

See, that is an example of a case where the examiner actually had your paper work and you had a name...this was just a control number and my forms were floating around in this "pre-screening" stage with a bunch of sub-examiners I guess...so who knows anymore?

 

[combat45acp]

When I get kicked back forms I mail them to my examiner. Average turnaround is about two weeks after corrected. However if the problem is with a trust it sometimes takes longer as that goes to an ATF lawyer to vet.

There is no set time table on anything NFA, period. I have had guys mail off their forms the same day and get approved about 4 weeks apart with zero problems on anyone's end. I think the key to getting corrected forms back sooner than later, is mailing them with " ATTN: Examiners NAME" on the first line of the envelope. I always Highlight their name too. I don't care if the examiner has seen the forms yet or not...she will open it, and usually approve it when she looks at her mail.

 

[451_Detonics]

Oddly even with a kick back my forms for transfer to an heir took less than a month to clear. They needed proof of executor for Dad's will was the reason for the kick back. Sent that and a week later had the approved forms back.

 

[Rossko85]

When I get kicked back forms I mail them to my examiner. Average turnaround is about two weeks after corrected. However if the problem is with a trust it sometimes takes longer as that goes to an ATF lawyer to vet.

There is no set time table on anything NFA, period. I have had guys mail off their forms the same day and get approved about 4 weeks apart with zero problems on anyone's end. I think the key to getting corrected forms back sooner than later, is mailing them with " ATTN: Examiners NAME" on the first line of the envelope. I always Highlight their name too. I don't care if the examiner has seen the forms yet or not...she will open it, and usually approve it when she looks at her mail.

There wasn't a problem with the trust at all...it was just the form 4. On line 2a, (top of the form as most of you know) my FFL put the trust name and then my name under that and a comma trustee, then the trust address. NFA branch kicked it back and said that individual should not be listed on the paper work as trusts were entities, not individuals. Funny thing is, this FFL has been doing trust paper work on form 4's this way for 10 years!! Not one single kick back and then here is my case, so....just sucks. I'm in limbo and no one has any idea at NFA branch either of what is going on...no direct answers...just bob and weave!

To boot, yeah...this one didn't have an examiners name on it...it just had control numbers on the form and the highlighted portion that needed corrected; I couldn't list any examiner so to speak due to not having one yet...This is where it was confusing to me. You said it went to "legal" for a trust...so this could explain a different portion of their already cluttered process, or the "pre-examiner phase" that they are telling me, before it goes to the examiner. Thanks for the insight! I'll keep everyone posted for future reference on here...

 

[combat45acp]

There wasn't a problem with the trust at all...it was just the form 4. On line 2a, (top of the form as most of you know) my FFL put the trust name and then my name under that and a comma trustee, then the trust address. NFA branch kicked it back and said that individual should not be listed on the paper work as trusts were entities, not individuals. Funny thing is, this FFL has been doing trust paper work on form 4's this way for 10 years!! Not one single kick back and then here is my case, so....just sucks. I'm in limbo and no one has any idea at NFA branch either of what is going on...no direct answers...just bob and weave!

To boot, yeah...this one didn't have an examiners name on it...it just had control numbers on the form and the highlighted portion that needed corrected; I couldn't list any examiner so to speak due to not having one yet...This is where it was confusing to me. You said it went to "legal" for a trust...so this could explain a different portion of their already cluttered process, or the "pre-examiner phase" that they are telling me, before it goes to the examiner. Thanks for the insight! I'll keep everyone posted for future reference on here...

Most of the time they will not have an examiners name on it, when you mail it back to an examiner is were you speed the process up.

I have never heard of anyone doing a Trust/Corp name and then put another name under it like that ever?? I have only been doing them for five years, but that seems awkward to me. Either way it is a pretty simple fix. Draw a line through it, initial and date, mail back. If sent to an examiner, they would most likely glance at it and stamp their name on it.


Good Luck!

 

[Rossko85]

Most of the time they will not have an examiners name on it, when you mail it back to an examiner is were you speed the process up.

I have never heard of anyone doing a Trust/Corp name and then put another name under it like that ever?? I have only been doing them for five years, but that seems awkward to me. Either way it is a pretty simple fix. Draw a line through it, initial and date, mail back. If sent to an examiner, they would most likely glance at it and stamp their name on it.


Good Luck!

Thank you, sir! Yeah...it has already been sent back...but not to the attention of an examiner, as they said there was no examiner attached to the document because it hasn't been to one yet...so there was no way to send it to an examiner...I asked and they said no...LOL

 

[Faine]

I submitted three forms in rapid succession. All three went to problem status, only one my fault. All three went through the same process. After 7 months of waiting I got a letter telling me there was an issue and to expect my forms to be returned. They were sent as indicated and arrived within a week of the notice. I corrected and returned the same week. I was told it would be 2 weeks from then, I called the ATF at 3 weeks. They listed my forms as pending 2, problem status resolved, estimated wait 10 weeks. True to their word I got my stamps 10 weeks later. Long story short, if you go into problem status right now, you're looking at 2 to 3 months to see your stamps from the day they get your ppwk back. The last is approval and mailing. Best I can tell they do batch mailing, because my forms were approved and "mailed" three weeks before I got them. Even the postal service couldn't be that consistent with timing on mail from a single location.

 

[Rossko85]

I submitted three forms in rapid succession. All three went to problem status, only one my fault. All three went through the same process. After 7 months of waiting I got a letter telling me there was an issue and to expect my forms to be returned. They were sent as indicated and arrived within a week of the notice. I corrected and returned the same week. I was told it would be 2 weeks from then, I called the ATF at 3 weeks. They listed my forms as pending 2, problem status resolved, estimated wait 10 weeks. True to their word I got my stamps 10 weeks later. Long story short, if you go into problem status right now, you're looking at 2 to 3 months to see your stamps from the day they get your ppwk back. The last is approval and mailing. Best I can tell they do batch mailing, because my forms were approved and "mailed" three weeks before I got them. Even the postal service couldn't be that consistent with timing on mail from a single location.

See, I didn't get a letter saying my forms will be returned, I just got the forms back in the mail to be corrected with the correction letter. They are saying approx. 7 months from the original pending date for processing regardless of a trust or individual on paper...And apparently it keeps in the same succession due to the control number so it doesn't loose its place in line so to speak. They said it would be another 2 months, so some time in December. I'm good with that...I really don't have a choice! LOL

Okie dokie...well, it's all hurry up and wait anyways! Every case seems to be so different that it is hard to put a finger on it. I appreciate it sir!

 

[Walt G]

I had a small problem on a form 4. I fixed it and mailed it back 4 weeks later stamp arrived.

 

[Rossko85]

I had a small problem on a form 4. I fixed it and mailed it back 4 weeks later stamp arrived.

See...this is what I have been told to expect; folks are telling me any day now since it was put back in the new pending status (they received my corrections) as of 10/07/14. Hope to hear from my FFL soon...

Actually while typing this I was calling NFA branch and to my surprise the form was approved OCTOBER 22ND!!! WHOOOO HOOO! She told me 30 days to mail it LMAO! it literally could be in the mail today...Im sure it will be this week sometime! YES!!

 

[Rossko85]

See...this is what I have been told to expect; folks are telling me any day now since it was put back in the new pending status (they received my corrections) as of 10/07/14. Hope to hear from my FFL soon...

Actually while typing this I was calling NFA branch and to my surprise the form was approved OCTOBER 22ND!!! WHOOOO HOOO! She told me 30 days to mail it LMAO! it literally could be in the mail today...Im sure it will be this week sometime! YES!!

It was in the mail and awaiting me at my FFL when I posted the above message! WHOOOHOOO!! Its here!

 

[Dead Duck]

Don't get your hopes up just yet.

Could be the wrong stamp.......or the wrong serial number........or the wrong gun.......

 

[Rossko85]

Don't get your hopes up just yet.

Could be the wrong stamp.......or the wrong serial number........or the wrong gun.......

LOL! No...it was the right one! I have her now! *see pic* LOL sounds like you are a little sour, maybe personal experience?! That would suck!! I am not surprised though coming from the NFA branch LOL