Looooooong Form 4 Wait Times

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  • Musicmasterd12

    Well-Known Member
    Rating - 100%
    3   0   0
    Jan 11, 2013
    159
    18
    Slidell
    File a paper form 4 last November, so I’ve been waiting a little over a year now. Called ATF to check status. They said they couldn’t find my paperwork for serial number I gave them. Called my FFL and come to find out he entered the wrong serial number on paperwork.

    Anyone know how long this kind of mishap will set me back?!
     

    2aadvocate19

    Well-Known Member
    Rating - 50%
    1   1   0
    Mar 4, 2021
    154
    28
    Lake Charles, LA
    File a paper form 4 last November, so I’ve been waiting a little over a year now. Called ATF to check status. They said they couldn’t find my paperwork for serial number I gave them. Called my FFL and come to find out he entered the wrong serial number on paperwork.

    Anyone know how long this kind of mishap will set me back?!
    that sucks.
     

    Enal

    FIDO
    Silver Member
    Rating - 100%
    23   0   0
    Nov 21, 2008
    426
    18
    Baton Rouge
    File a paper form 4 last November, so I’ve been waiting a little over a year now. Called ATF to check status. They said they couldn’t find my paperwork for serial number I gave them. Called my FFL and come to find out he entered the wrong serial number on paperwork.

    Anyone know how long this kind of mishap will set me back?!
    This all depends on when it was resubmitted. I mentioned that I had two e-forms submitted on March 14 & 28th…well that’s because of the idiot that submitted them wrong. Since they were electronic it was easier to correct and he was notified sooner. The paper forms can take 30-45 & even 60 days to get kicked back and your process starts all over and you may never know this happened unless the FFL tells you. This happened on my first & only paper submission and it added a full 2 months bringing that to 14 months from original submission.
     

    2aadvocate19

    Well-Known Member
    Rating - 50%
    1   1   0
    Mar 4, 2021
    154
    28
    Lake Charles, LA
    Yea, infuriated doesn’t even begin to describe it

    But another question is, why wouldn’t ATF reach out to the FFL if there were an inconsistency in the paperwork?
    I wouldn't expect a government agency to go out of their way to help someone out, especially not the atf. I mean, they already have your check what do they care
     

    Musicmasterd12

    Well-Known Member
    Rating - 100%
    3   0   0
    Jan 11, 2013
    159
    18
    Slidell
    This all depends on when it was resubmitted. I mentioned that I had two e-forms submitted on March 14 & 28th…well that’s because of the idiot that submitted them wrong. Since they were electronic it was easier to correct and he was notified sooner. The paper forms can take 30-45 & even 60 days to get kicked back and your process starts all over and you may never know this happened unless the FFL tells you. This happened on my first & only paper submission and it added a full 2 months bringing that to 14 months from original submission.
    The only reason I found out there was even an issue was bc I called atf (after waiting 365 days) to check on status and they told me that they didn’t have the info I gave them in their system

    My FFL told me he was would have to resubmit correct forms. This was a few days ago. Said will have to wait on atf to send originals to him and then he’d submit the corrected forms.

    Idk the process but I feel like I’m screwed
     

    70mikenike70

    Well-Known Member
    Rating - 100%
    9   0   0
    Jan 13, 2022
    503
    63
    Lake Charles
    I know I’m gonna get the good ole shut up and wait from everyone, but this is absolutely dumb. In August of this year I was at my local FFL and they talked me into getting my CAN by filing my form 4 on the new silencer shop kiosk since the eforms were going really fast…… I was told that things were moving quicker than normal which was almost at a full year from what I was seeing…. I just so happened to have $1200 cash on me and I specifically asked how long it would take and they said 90 days. I was like yeah right I doubt that. They were like no really that’s what we are being told. And I again said so I should have it at least by Christmas and they said oh it should be sooner than that…. So I did my paperwork on the kiosk and thought hmmm maybe just maybe I will get lucky…. So after everything was completed my start day was August 30th…. So September the 30th I was reading something online about how the wait times were fluctuating and it made me nervous so I called the AFT. The lady reassured me that it was going to take 90-100 days at the most…. Ok lady thanks. On day 100 I called and the lady said it was processing but it was going to actually take 180 days not 90….. I calmly said so I’m gonna have to wait until March now? Yes sir…. Thanks…. So a big F me in the face and I hung up the phone…. So I’m now at 119 days at the time of this post and I can’t help but wonder if these are complete calendar days or business days…. I’m losing my mind here…. I even looked up if I could cancel my form 4 and get my money back… Nope can’t do that either…. We have super computers in the palm of our hands and some on our wrists. How on this back woods spinning ball we call earth can we not make this process quicker? The IRS can hire 87,000 people to make our lives more miserable than it already is, but we can’t hire a few more people to work in the unconstitutional AFT???? I will volunteer to work from home for free just to help my fellow sportsmen get what they want faster. Ok I’m done lol…. I hope everyone has a great wonderful blessed weekend in Jesus’ mighty name!!!!
     

    John_

    Shooter
    Rating - 100%
    21   0   0
    Nov 23, 2013
    3,451
    113
    Hammond, LA
    I know I’m gonna get the good ole shut up and wait from everyone, but this is absolutely dumb. In August of this year I was at my local FFL and they talked me into getting my CAN by filing my form 4 on the new silencer shop kiosk since the eforms were going really fast…… I was told that things were moving quicker than normal which was almost at a full year from what I was seeing…. I just so happened to have $1200 cash on me and I specifically asked how long it would take and they said 90 days. I was like yeah right I doubt that. They were like no really that’s what we are being told. And I again said so I should have it at least by Christmas and they said oh it should be sooner than that…. So I did my paperwork on the kiosk and thought hmmm maybe just maybe I will get lucky…. So after everything was completed my start day was August 30th…. So September the 30th I was reading something online about how the wait times were fluctuating and it made me nervous so I called the AFT. The lady reassured me that it was going to take 90-100 days at the most…. Ok lady thanks. On day 100 I called and the lady said it was processing but it was going to actually take 180 days not 90….. I calmly said so I’m gonna have to wait until March now? Yes sir…. Thanks…. So a big F me in the face and I hung up the phone…. So I’m now at 119 days at the time of this post and I can’t help but wonder if these are complete calendar days or business days…. I’m losing my mind here…. I even looked up if I could cancel my form 4 and get my money back… Nope can’t do that either…. We have super computers in the palm of our hands and some on our wrists. How on this back woods spinning ball we call earth can we not make this process quicker? The IRS can hire 87,000 people to make our lives more miserable than it already is, but we can’t hire a few more people to work in the unconstitutional AFT???? I will volunteer to work from home for free just to help my fellow sportsmen get what they want faster. Ok I’m done lol…. I hope everyone has a great wonderful blessed weekend in Jesus’ mighty name!!!!

    There are several factors which influence approval times even with the restored form 4 E file. Very very few peeps are seeing 90 day approval times. Your FBI background check has to be squeaky clean/zero issues. Your class 3 dealer has to do his end in a timeless fashion with no clerical errors. Most peeps are running 200 to 250 days. Your local FFL promised you things that just don't normally happen. Remember he wanted to sell a can/make money on the sale. That was his or her motivation.

    You can call the ATF all you want and it will not speed up sh*t. If you p*ss them off, they may delay you longer (retribution). At this point, you have no choice but to sit tight and wait for approval. I mostly blame your local FFL for "puffing" your sale/transaction/approval times. He knows the game and how long it really takes for approvals even with E file. Call him and ask why its not happening (approval) like he said. He will blame it on the ATF or FBI no doubt. If you go beyond 300 days, you can contact your Congressional rep and ask him or her to look into it. Expedite it. You have to have some patience with this process, which you seem to be lacking. Trying to cancel the transaction after application and payment? Go visit your local dealer and give him the third degree. Bottom line is take a number and be somewhat patient. Class 3 has never been a fast and furious game. Except my F1 individual applications ATF on line, most approvals in < 30 days.
     
    Last edited:

    John_

    Shooter
    Rating - 100%
    21   0   0
    Nov 23, 2013
    3,451
    113
    Hammond, LA
    2 coworkers submitted Silencerco kiosk and both were around 340 days
    Yeah, there is no "fast and furious" in dat fo sure! My only F4 can (YMH Turbo 2) was approved in 275 days from application back in Dec of 2020. Most of mine are F1 build ups. But the dick Biden/ATF stopped the F1 game dead in its tracks last February/March. Shut it down cold BC of some half witt mofo who is totally clueless. And sometimes exhibits early onset Alzheimer's symptoms in public interviews, unprepared.

    But we have 50,000+ illegals per month coming into the US right now across our southern border after some min vetting process. Biden/Harris approved.

    excerpt from the CBP website, Sept 2022 data. 150,000 plus individuals per month trying to cross our southern border:

    CBP Southwest Border Enforcement Numbers for September 2022​

    The large number of individuals fleeing failing authoritarian regimes in Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba is contributing to an increased number of migrants attempting to cross the border.

    • The number of unique individuals encountered nationwide in September 2022 was 182,704, a 15 percent increase in the number of unique enforcement encounters over the prior month, driven largely by an increased number of asylum seekers fleeing authoritarian regimes in Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua.
      • Of the total unique encounters in September 2022, 77,302 were from Venezuela, Cuba, or Nicaragua, which represents 42% of unique encounters, a 245% increase over September 2021.
      • Of the total unique encounters in September 2022, 58,068 were from Mexico and northern Central America, which represents 32% of unique encounters, a 23% decrease over September 2021.
     
    Last edited:

    70mikenike70

    Well-Known Member
    Rating - 100%
    9   0   0
    Jan 13, 2022
    503
    63
    Lake Charles
    There are several factors which influence approval times even with the restored form 4 E file. Very very few peeps are seeing 90 day approval times. Your FBI background check has to be squeaky clean/zero issues. Your class 3 dealer has to do his end in a timeless fashion with no clerical errors. Most peeps are running 200 to 250 days. Your local FFL promised you things that just don't normally happen. Remember he wanted to sell a can/make money on the sale. That was his or her motivation.

    You can call the ATF all you want and it will not speed up sh*t. If you p*ss them off, they may delay you longer (retribution). At this point, you have no choice but to sit tight and wait for approval. I mostly blame your local FFL for "puffing" your sale/transaction/approval times. He knows the game and how long it really takes for approvals even with E file. Call him and ask why its not happening (approval) like he said. He will blame it on the ATF or FBI no doubt. If you go beyond 300 days, you can contact your Congressional rep and ask him or her to look into it. Expedite it. You have to have some patience with this process, which you seem to be lacking. Trying to cancel the transaction after application and payment? Go visit your local dealer and give him the third degree. Bottom line is take a number and be somewhat patient. Class 3 has never been a fast and furious game. Except my F1 individual applications ATF on line, most approvals in < 30 days.
    Yea I know the drill…. I wish I would have known about form 1’s though. I would’ve done that first! Is there a limit to the number of forms you can do at one time?
     

    John_

    Shooter
    Rating - 100%
    21   0   0
    Nov 23, 2013
    3,451
    113
    Hammond, LA
    Yea I know the drill…. I wish I would have known about form 1’s though. I would’ve done that first! Is there a limit to the number of forms you can do at one time?
    No sir. You can efile a dozen F1s @ once if you wish. We had a guy on our forum who would file a dozen at a time, LOL. He owns a large machine shop in MI and was building his own personal cans like a crack whore. Experimenting and testing different combos, and the results. He purchased his own complete B&K 2209 sound pressure test rig. And use a single set of prints for all of the applications. But as I mentioned above, build your own F1 cans are pretty much dead right now after March 2022. Unless you machine your own cones from raw materials. Most on line shops selling solvent trap parts closed up and disappeared. There are one or two machine shops still open, if you are interested, PM me for details. My last F1 cans filed 6 months ago were approved in < 30 calendar days. Ditto SBR apps. An update, the ATF is now accepting electronic fingerprints for F1 apps now too. No longer have to mail in cards to them. You can get your prints done @ the local UPS store. One and done, digital file.

    An example is JK Armament. They (Jake) sold complete solvent traps and parts for years, home based in Idaho. Now illegal per the ATF. JK is now selling F4 silencers. Complying with the new ATF rules interpretations as of February 2022, courtesy of J Biden and Co.
     

    AndyG

    Well-Known Member
    Rating - 100%
    9   0   0
    Aug 3, 2019
    105
    18
    Lafayette, LA
    RE 3 Month Approvals:

    As I understand it, if you’ve ever been arrested — regardless of offense & outcome — a quick Form 4 turnaround is unlikely. Your submittal is likely to get flagged for FBI review, at which point it is out of ATF’s control until FBI green lights it. This adds an additional 9+ months of processing time to the ATF’s best case scenario of 2-3mo.
     
    Last edited:

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