Silencer Shop News Update: ATF eForms Launch Imminent!

[SilencerShop]

According to the ATF, eForms will launch between December 15 - 28, 2021!

Here is what you need to know about ATF eForms:

• The New eForms will make owning an NFA item (suppressor, SBR) quicker and easier.
• Launch Date is estimated between the 15th and 28th of December.
• If you have an order with Silencer Shop click here to learn what you need to do!

We have the latest news on ATF eForms on our blog and YouTube.

 

[kthomas]

Thanks for the update!

Question for you @SilencerShop:

I currently have a suppressor that I recently purchased that just arrived at the dealer. I have yet to submit my application to the ATF through the SilencerShop kiosk at the dealer. Should I perform those steps now? Or wait for this new E-File system to go live?

 

[sam4886]

Good news. Just saw the email.

I know if anything is pulled then resubmitted there will be a 1 year wait according to ATF, but are you guys holding back on recent orders to file through the new e-form system?

I have a couple from right around thanksgiving that have the "documents require signature" step as done but haven't been cashed at the ATF yet. I'm hoping you guys haven't sent those off yet so I can hopefully get in on the lower wait times.

One fro 11/18 and one from 11/24

I also have one from 11/2 that was just cashed the other day so it'll hopefully be an interesting test to see how much faster they can be.

 

[earthquake]

Probably a stupid noob question but, what is the difference between this new thing/eForm and getting a can electronically(?) on your kiosks?

 

[PostOak]

SS, what does this mean for those of us who have checks cashed and are waiting for approval?

 

[M4guru]

eFile should process much faster. The kiosk makes it easier on you but the ATF still processes then manually.

 

[roostercogburn98]

Isn’t this the second or third time they have tried this? Maybe I’m mistaken, but didn’t they talk about this 5-6 years ago or longer. Something about the system not being ready to handle the volume?

 

[kthomas]

Thanks for the update!

Question for you @SilencerShop:

I currently have a suppressor that I recently purchased that just arrived at the dealer. I have yet to submit my application to the ATF through the SilencerShop kiosk at the dealer. Should I perform those steps now? Or wait for this new E-File system to go live?

Update: I just talked to a SilencerShop rep through their website.

I was told to submit now, all new submissions will be held and submitted as an E-File when the system goes live.

 

[sam4886]

Did they happen to tell you if they had any cut off date previously they started holding the forms?

 

[GenericBadGuy]

About fucking time.

 

[stello1001]

Didn't they try this already and failed miserably? I know something about signing it online, or something having to do with the signature process really screwing people over and having to start the wait time all over again.

Assuming everything is sorted out now and there are no hiccups? Will this truly be faster? I'm sure an ATF agent still has to process and handle the applications...

**edit**

@Glassaholic weren't you the one involved in a major headache with an issue that screwed you over on the wait time? There was a member who spent about 15 months waiting and I think it was you.

Although I cannot clearly remember if the issue was related to e-filing.

 

[Baron23]

View attachment 7753039

According to the ATF, eForms will launch between December 15 - 28, 2021!

Here is what you need to know about ATF eForms:

• The New eForms will make owning an NFA item (suppressor, SBR) quicker and easier.
• Launch Date is estimated between the 15th and 28th of December.
• If you have an order with Silencer Shop click here to learn what you need to do!

We have the latest news on ATF eForms on our blog and YouTube.

HI SS - thanks for the update.

I note in your blog on this subject it says (emphasis in bold added by me): "By tapping into eForms, your NFA application will be digitized and your ATF wait time should be reduced."

My general understanding is that the ATF has blamed their unconscionably slow processing times for Form 4's on the FBI who do the background checks (and my understanding is that the FBI only does online/database background investigations vice interviews like DSS and security clearances).

Digitized or not, I'm kind of having a hard time seeing how this e-form filing will make a substantial difference. So, instead of a pile of folders on their desk, they will have a queue of electronic files that they can let molder.

Am I wrong?

 

[kthomas]

Did they happen to tell you if they had any cut off date previously they started holding the forms?

I didn't ask.

If you are hanging around a computer, you can ask a representative through the online chat. They are pretty busy today talking to customers.

 

[sam4886]

I didn't ask.

If you are hanging around a computer, you can ask a representative through the online chat. They are pretty busy today talking to customers.

Yup, I'm sure they're swamped with these kinds of questions. I'll leave them alone and see what comes out in the next few days for info. Not like I can do anything about it either way.

 

[earthtrekker1775]

I hope that this in some way removes the human, govt bureaucrat aspect of the process (the only part that really makes suppressor purchases take months) and streamlines their workload so that we can get our pointlessly restricted hearing protection in a timely fashion.

@SilencerShop keep fighting the good fight. I have had nothing but easy, painless and quick interactions with the kiosk and single shot trust process.

 

[alamo5000]

Probably a stupid noob question but, what is the difference between this new thing/eForm and getting a can electronically(?) on your kiosks?

The kiosk made getting prints and other stuff much easier for the first and other purchases. They would still print out the documents and mail it in in your behalf.

With the new system everything is online.

With paper the wait time was nearly a year or much longer at times. When other forms were done electronically though the wait time was around a month.

The difference is the new way is tip to tail electronic.

 

[earthtrekker1775]

The kiosk made getting prints and other stuff much easier for the first and other purchases. They would still print out the documents and mail it in in your behalf.

With the new system everything is online.

With paper the wait time was nearly a year or much longer at times. When other forms were done electronically though the wait time was around a month.

The difference is the new way is tip to tail electronic.

Hopefully the govt hired a contractor to set up an e-system and didn't build it themselves. Would probably be ms-dos based if they did.

 

[z7.jled]

Hopefully the govt hired a contractor to set up an e-system and didn't build it themselves. Would probably be ms-dos based if they did.

No see the government hired a contractor to do it 4 years ago, and that contractor hired a sub, who then subbed out the work to three different subordinate contractors. The speqs called for a system compatible for windows 95 so they had to outsource to Shri lanka to write the software. The speq also includes providing computers and printers, and the printers as speq’d work just fine, but the ink manufacturer went out of business in 2014 and when the supply of ink runs out it will require new bidding yo replace all the computers and printers. This will follow the normal process of “today’s needs satisfied half-assed in two years” net result eforms will work for 8 months with 15 people getting quick turnarounds and 1500 people getting screwed.

I might have felt with acquisitions and contractors once or twice

 

[earthtrekker1775]

No see the government hired a contractor to do it 4 years ago, and that contractor hired a sub, who then subbed out the work to three different subordinate contractors. The speqs called for a system compatible for windows 95 so they had to outsource to Shri lanka to write the software. The speq also includes providing computers and printers, and the printers as speq’d work just fine, but the ink manufacturer went out of business in 2014 and when the supply of ink runs out it will require new bidding yo replace all the computers and printers. This will follow the normal process of “today’s needs satisfied half-assed in two years” net result eforms will work for 8 months with 15 people getting quick turnarounds and 1500 people getting screwed.

I might have felt with acquisitions and contractors once or twice

Too true!

 

[Lunchbox27]

My understanding of this is…

This will get the Form 4 to them right away, same as eForms for Form 1/3 currently, however the wait for the FBI is still the current drag. I have BS’d with a bunch of different approvers when calling to check status. Most of them are pretty cool and say.. “yeah, It’s the FBI”

The best part of the Eform for Form 4 (again, my understanding) is it will be emailed to your FFL. So no more waiting 15, 25….45+ fucking days for it to arrive by mail. That alone is great. Let’s see how it works.

SS just mailed my Form 4 last week. I really want another Ultra 9. Tempted to throw it in now and let them race.

 

[TxWelder35]

Man it sure would be nice for a form 4 to come back just as fast as a form 1 which last I did it was like 2-3weeks.

 

[TxWelder35]

My understanding of this is…

This will get the Form 4 to them right away, same as eForms for Form 1/3 currently, however the wait for the FBI is still the current drag. I have BS’d with a bunch of different approvers when calling to check status. Most of them are pretty cool and say.. “yeah, It’s the FBI”

The best part of the Eform for Form 4 (again, my understanding) is it will be emailed to your FFL. So no more waiting 15, 25….45+ fucking days for it to arrive by mail. That alone is great. Let’s see how it works.

SS just mailed my Form 4 last week. I really want another Ultra 9. Tempted to throw it in now and let them race.

I don’t buy the FBI line, if it was then why does a form 1 come back in under a month

 

[Lunchbox27]

I don’t buy the FBI line, if it was then why does a form 1 come back in under a month

Yeah…. My feeling is the same on that… but what we gonna do?

 

[E. Bryant]

Isn’t this the second or third time they have tried this? Maybe I’m mistaken, but didn’t they talk about this 5-6 years ago or longer. Something about the system not being ready to handle the volume?

You can thank those of us in the Form 1 community for stress-testing the eForm system over the past few years.

My general understanding is that the ATF has blamed their unconscionably slow processing times for Form 4's on the FBI who do the background checks (and my understanding is that the FBI only does online/database background investigations vice interviews like DSS and security clearances).

Digitized or not, I'm kind of having a hard time seeing how this e-form filing will make a substantial difference. So, instead of a pile of folders on their desk, they will have a queue of electronic files that they can let molder.

Am I wrong?

Form 1 filings presumably require the same FBI background check as a Form 4 paper submission, and yet the vast majority have been approved in about one month (some have dragged on for quite a bit longer - you can find those stories sprinkled around the web). So it would appear that the background check is not the bottleneck in most cases.

 

[Baron23]

You can thank those of us in the Form 1 community for stress-testing the eForm system over the past few years.


Form 1 filings presumably require the same FBI background check as a Form 4 paper submission, and yet the vast majority have been approved in about one month (some have dragged on for quite a bit longer - you can find those stories sprinkled around the web). So it would appear that the background check is not the bottleneck in most cases.

Thanks, but I’ll bet you large that an efile system will not bring form 4 processing time down to what you are experiencing currently w Form 1’s.

Curious, did you put a form 1 thru pior to the efile system and how did that compare to form 4 duration in that time period.

Maybe it’s not the FBI. But if not, a lot of the ATF’s people seem to have gotten the memo on who to blame! Haha

 

[iceollie12]

Ughhh...I placed an order through SS right at the beginning of the bogo promotion but I believe my check has already been cashed. It would be pathetic if my yet-to-be-manufactured suppressor is approved before the one sitting in jail but submitted with a paper Form 4.

 

[2aBaC̶a̶]

if you had planned on buying a can tomorrow through your local shop is it advised to wait for X or what?

 

[kthomas]

if you had planned on buying a can tomorrow through your local shop is it advised to wait for X or what?

No.

If you put an application in today through silencershops kiosk, it will get held until the efile system goes live.

So if you use the silencershop kiosk, you can start the process right away and it will be an efile.

 

[E. Bryant]

Thanks, but I’ll bet you large that an efile system will not bring form 4 processing time down to what you are experiencing currently w Form 1’s.

Curious, did you put a form 1 thru pior to the efile system and how did that compare to form 4 duration in that time period.

Maybe it’s not the FBI. But if not, a lot of the ATF’s people seem to have gotten the memo on who to blame! Haha

I've never done a paper Form 1 and paper Form 4 simultaneously. But you can see the ATF's own estimated times here:

Current Processing Times | Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

As of March 1, 2024 Statistical information on average processing times of applications that are filled out correctly and completely.

www.atf.gov

Note that most of those applications don't require FBI background checks, and yet the paper wait times are consistently longer than eForms. So it's not the FBI background checks that are to blame, regardless of the consistency of the narrative.

My latest F1 eForm was approved a few days ago, and took 19 days from the time I filed to approval (including the time it took to mail physical fingerprint cards, and the supposedly slow FBI background check). That's not an outlier; several of my other F1s were approved with similar speed this summer. So it would appear we need to go elsewhere to find the real reason that Form 4s move so slowly.

 

[Holliday]

I think comparisons to form 1s are unrealistic, to say the least. My understanding is that form 1s are but a small fraction of what form 4s amount to.

If this system drops this month, I personally think we could see a HUGE surge this month continuing into Q1 2022. That surge is likely to swamp this new system in short order. A system that is dependent on other agencies as well.

Don’t get me wrong I think this is great news. But it will remain to be seen just how fast we will see a real benefit from it. I’m not that optimistic at this point.

 

[keystoneshooter]

Ughhh...I placed an order through SS right at the beginning of the bogo promotion but I believe my check has already been cashed. It would be pathetic if my yet-to-be-manufactured suppressor is approved before the one sitting in jail but submitted with a paper Form 4.

Same boat here… check cashed dec 1

 

[2aBaC̶a̶]

No.

If you put an application in today through silencershops kiosk, it will get held until the efile system goes live.

So if you use the silencershop kiosk, you can start the process right away and it will be an efile.

Guess I should call my lgs tomorrow and ask if they are hip to the new e-file thing and if they are holding new applications till then. Was seriously planning on buying a new can tomorrow. Would rather wait and take my chances with the new system.

 

[kthomas]

Guess I should call my lgs tomorrow and ask if they are hip to the new e-file thing and if they are holding new applications till then. Was seriously planning on buying a new can tomorrow. Would rather wait and take my chances with the new system.

Talk to your LGS and SilencerShop.

I'm in the same situation, I asked an SS rep if I should file now or wait for the new efile system to launch - they said all new applications will be converted to efile, so you can start the process anytime and be okay.

If you aren't using the SS kiosk, then you probably have to wait until the efile system launches.

 

[rlsmith1]

I literally emailed the email on the Eform site and got a response within an hour. Asked a follow up question and had an answer in minutes again. Seems like the Eform side is being run much better. Personal experience with wait times on Form 1's and Form 4's supports this

 

[_Windrider_]

So is this for form 4’s? Or just Form 1’s?

 

[Daddyusmaximus]

I got 2 cans from them in ATF jail right now, and it's no fun playing the waiting game...

 

[rlsmith1]

They've been Efiling Form 1's for a while now (I did it back in March). Form 4's have only been paper which takes the 6 months plus

 

[SilencerShop]

So is this for form 4’s? Or just Form 1’s?

ATF eForms will support forms 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 9.

 

[SilencerShop]

Talk to your LGS and SilencerShop.

I'm in the same situation, I asked an SS rep if I should file now or wait for the new efile system to launch - they said all new applications will be converted to efile, so you can start the process anytime and be okay.

If you aren't using the SS kiosk, then you probably have to wait until the efile system launches.

If you're using a Powered By Silencer Shop Dealer, then they'll be able to help you with an eForm submission. The sooner your purchase the can and the sooner the dealer has it the better for when eForms is live.

 

[KZP]

lol, my forms got mailed last week....

 

[SilencerShop]

Thanks for the update!

Question for you @SilencerShop:

I currently have a suppressor that I recently purchased that just arrived at the dealer. I have yet to submit my application to the ATF through the SilencerShop kiosk at the dealer. Should I perform those steps now? Or wait for this new E-File system to go live?

Did you get an order number? If so, email it to [email protected] and we can reply with your status. If you don't want to wait to find out, you can check out the Silencer Shop customer portal and check your status. If your status shows "mailed" then that application is too far along to be converted to eForm. However, if you haven't completed a DocuSign then you could be okay.

 

[SilencerShop]

Good news. Just saw the email.

I know if anything is pulled then resubmitted there will be a 1 year wait according to ATF, but are you guys holding back on recent orders to file through the new e-form system?

I have a couple from right around thanksgiving that have the "documents require signature" step as done but haven't been cashed at the ATF yet. I'm hoping you guys haven't sent those off yet so I can hopefully get in on the lower wait times.

One fro 11/18 and one from 11/24

I also have one from 11/2 that was just cashed the other day so it'll hopefully be an interesting test to see how much faster they can be.

Great questions! If you log into your Silencer Shop Customer Portal, check to see if your orders have been mailed. If they haven't been mailed then you could be eligible for eForms when it goes live on the applicable orders. If your orders show mailed, then your next notification should be when the check is cashed. Let us know if you have additional questions! Thanks!

 

[SilencerShop]

SS, what does this mean for those of us who have checks cashed and are waiting for approval?

In this case, we recommend staying the course. Based on what the ATF and ASA are saying, the ATF would require a one-year wait for the withdrawal. Thanks!

 

[Edllb61]

@SilencerShop So I have an order that is pending form 3 approval and I already completed my docusign. So does that mean I will be automatically converted to an eForm? If not what do I need to do so that I can switch to an eForm?

 

[NiteQwill]

@SilencerShop So I have an order that is pending form 3 approval and I already completed my docusign. So does that mean I will be automatically converted to an eForm? If not what do I need to do so that I can switch to an eForm?

Yes, you will be converted.

 

[corey4]

is this for all dealers or just SS?

 

[roostercogburn98]

Thanks, but I’ll bet you large that an efile system will not bring form 4 processing time down to what you are experiencing currently w Form 1’s.

Curious, did you put a form 1 thru pior to the efile system and how did that compare to form 4 duration in that time period

I've never done a paper Form 1 and paper Form 4 simultaneously. But you can see the ATF's own estimated times here:

I form 1d an SBR ten years ago and it seems like it took several months still. Not as long as my suppressor form 4s, but still not nearly as quick as the form 1 efile had gotten at one point. I mean 20-30 days to get a form 1 back is pretty good. I doubt we will ever see the 4s get that fast. Hell, even a form 3 dealer to dealer transfer used to take at least 10-12 business days. That’s between two completely vetted SOT holders. To think the fed gubment would be able to get joe blow in less time than that is crazy in my opinion.

I bet the form 4 wait time is still 4-7 months at least. That’s after the initial surge and backlog gets cleaned out. IF they don’t shut the program down again like they did the first time.

 

[sam4886]

Great questions! If you log into your Silencer Shop Customer Portal, check to see if your orders have been mailed. If they haven't been mailed then you could be eligible for eForms when it goes live on the applicable orders. If your orders show mailed, then your next notification should be when the check is cashed. Let us know if you have additional questions! Thanks!

I'm not seeing a mailed status anywhere. I'm on my phone if that matters.

Best I can tell is status says form 4 signed, but I don't see anything along the lines of submitted or mailed.

The can I bought a couple weeks earlier is in the awaiting approval status so that one is clearly at the ATF.

 

[kthomas]

Did you get an order number? If so, email it to [email protected] and we can reply with your status. If you don't want to wait to find out, you can check out the Silencer Shop customer portal and check your status. If your status shows "mailed" then that application is too far along to be converted to eForm. However, if you haven't completed a DocuSign then you could be okay.

I haven't completed the docusign yet, still need to go to the dealer.

I'm hoping my other suppressor (check cashed 02/12/21) will have a stamp at the dealer next week and I can do it all at once

 

[SilencerShop]

is this for all dealers or just SS?

Powered By Silencer Shop Dealers will be able to help you the quickest, but anyone can submit through eForms.