Gloom & Doom: Paperwork Wait

Currently, the average wait time for the turnaround of a Form 1 or Form 4 is between six and seven months. The current group of examiners is processing close to a million weapons on annualized basis and the numbers are only increasing. The overwhelming majority of weapons (70%) are suppressors. Many states are now even legalizing the use of suppressors for game animals instead of just varmints and vermin, so the the growth rate will accelerate.

Add into the mix CLEO signature requirements going away. Add into the mix the very real prospect of Obama being reelected and the mad rush to purchase things that some might think will be legislated out of existence.

I have a really bad feeling that we will all pine for the six month turnaround time! I am guessing that wait times of a year+ will become the norm.

Do you think the addition of examiners assistants (presuming this proves to be true) will help?

You guys (NFATCA "insiders") are probably in the best position of anyone (save for ATF "brass") to know what impact that would have. Heck, can you confirm if the buzz about examiners assistants is true?

The hiring of the examiner assistants (which has been confirmed) will likely not provide immediate relief. Look for a gradual improvement by summer. Still, that will only provide relief if the volume of work remains the same. My gut tells me that it will only increase.

I wouldn't expect immediate relief (even if new examiners were brought on board) as there's training that needs to happen which, if anything, would probably slow things down. I suspect this impact would be less so with assistants than with examiners, however.

Really, I'm just hoping the wait will stay around the 6 month mark in the face of the current increases in application load. Eventually I would expect the application numbers to somewhat stabilize. However, unless we see a radical shift in government policy towards firearms (and more specifically NFA), I would never expect us to be back to sub 60-day approvals.

Do you happen to know the motivation for the hiring of the assistants? I'm curious why that route was chosen to try and decrease wait times vs. hiring full-fledged examiners. Or is the hiring of assistants and the potential decrease in wait times simply a by-product of some other initiative?

Not certain of the rationale, but it could be that there were already contractor budgets for assistants that would not require direct ATF hires...

What many of you probably don't know is the NRA is working closely with the NFATCA and Congress to rectify this mess. Yeah I know what you are thinking..........the NRA??? Well guess what, we are not the only ones helping in this battle. They just do it with a little less publicity. Once the right people found out how much revenue the NFA Branch generates, a lot of people on the hill started to drop jaw on that number. Problem is that none of that money was being used to refuel the NFA Branch. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out you better put some of those funds into the largest money maker in BATFE. Estimates are that the NFA Branch generates nearly a million dollars a month.

Be sure to remind them that a *LOT* of people would be MUCH happier to send them MORE money if the waits got down to the 1-2 month mark!

Though, if that happens, I may end up divorced....

It's a double edged sword!