Without fail, every client wants to know how long they can expect to wait for their NFA Firearm transfer to be approved. While we all want to take our SBR and suppressor (silencer for some of y’all) home as soon as possible, we know we must wait for the ATF to approve.
Wait Times from the First Half of the Year.
Over the last year, the ATF has been swamped by the deluge of paperwork filed prior to the implementation of ATF 41F. The additional paperwork has increased the delay time, and we are seeing an eight month or so turn around time right now. (As I write, the newest forms being returned were filed in early March. Unfortunately, some forms from January and February remain open.)
NFA Firearm sells skyrocketed in June and early July, and I expect the ATF will be bogged down when it starts to work through this knot in the next several months.
If you filed your Form 4 or Form 1 in early May of 2016 or before, you can expect to see it approved around the eight month mark. But if you filed later in May and on into July, then you should expect nine to ten months turn around time.
Wait Times in the Last Half of the Year.
And what of those who filed forms after the rule change? The additional paperwork will certainly slow down the ATF, but the number of forms filed in late July through October are down. I am guessing, emphasis on guessing, that the effect will be a wash. Therefore, I expect to see a nine to twelve month turn around time for forms filed in the last half of this year.
Unfortunately we only truly know how long it takes after the work is completed. And while it will be a while before you can take your new suppressor home, don’t let the wait discourage you. After all, you can have your new gun in time for hunting season next year.