Arsenal Attorneys just received confirmation ATF has completed the next phase of its relaunch of the internet-based ATF eFile system. According to ATF, the public may now submit ATF Form 1 (also known as 5320.1 -- "Application to Make and Register a Firearm") using the eFile website. ATF originally launched eFile in August 2013 to offer the public a faster process to register firearms regulated by Title 2 of the National Firearms Act ("NFA"), including silencers, short barrel rifles (SBR), short barrel shotguns, and machine guns. Thus, instead of waiting 12 months for a tax stamp requested through a paper application process, applicants could use eFile to obtain a tax stamp in as little as 90 days.

Previously eFile exhibited technical problems, and ATF shutdown the eFile website on April 4, 2014 to correct these glitches. Now that eFile will be accepting Form 1, ATF has assured the public eFile will soon be ready to accept Form 3 and Form 4 for the transfer of NFA firearms, including silencers, machine guns, and short barrel shotguns. 

The Form 1 is used when you want to make your own NFA firearm. This situation usually involved the building of an SBR. An applicant might begin with a stripped lower receiver, or perhaps they wish to retrofit a firearm to become an SBR. We advise each of our clients in how this can be done. 

How can you take advantage of this good news?  

The eFile system is only available to those using a legal entity, such as our Arsenal Gun Trust. In addition to becoming eligible for the faster eFile process, our clients also enjoy a simpler application process because an Arsenal Gun Trust avoids the need for fingerprinting, mugshots, and the signature of your local police chief. Additionally, you may use the Arsenal Gun Trust to allow other people to possess your NFA firearms legally. Finally, in most cases, we can design your Arsenal Gun Trust for your entire gun collection so your firearms could pass to the next generation privately and without a court proceeding. You may use the same Arsenal Gun Trust for the purchase or manufacture of multiple NFA firearms. Contact Arsenal Attorneys to learn more about these services. We offer a variety of options for every budget in most states.

Below is ATF's official announcement of concerning eFile and its ongoing effort to issue tax stamps faster:

We are pleased to announce the following updates to the eForms system:

1. Performance enhancements – We were able to address some of the technical issues. You will see improvements in the overall performance of the system.
2. We are able to add the ATF Form 1 back to the eForms system. Our plans are to closely monitor the performance of the system in order to determine if we will be able to add additional forms back to the system.

Below is an update on the status on our processing of paper and electronic NFA applications. In the future, this information will be available through links on the eForms login screen:

In follow-up to ATF's letter dated April 16, 2014, regarding the status of the eForms system; this update is being provided to inform the industry of ATF's progress in addressing eForms and paper NFA applications. To accommodate the substantial increase in application volume that has recently occurred, ATF is working diligently to decrease processing times while continuing to enhance the eForms platform.

What is our progress to date?

From a peak of over 81,000 pending NFA applications at the end of February 2014, as of June 18, 2014, ATF has reduced the number to less than 63,000 applications pending (23% reduction in pending applications). In the last four weeks, although the NFA Branch received over 17,800 applications we processed more than 22,400 applications.

The statistics in the table below represent the processing of NFA Forms over the past four weeks.

NFA FORMS PROCESSED BY WEEK

Date (Week of)         5/28/2014          6/4/2014        6/11/2014        6/18/2014

All Forms                      4,815                 5,629              5,635               6,323

eForms                         1,199                 1,204              1,905               1,682

Paper Forms                 3,616                 4,425               3,730               4,641

At the same time, ATF has directed additional resources to NFA application processing:

• There are currently 15 Legal Instrument Examiner (LIE) applicants currently in the background investigation phase of hiring.
• The use of overtime funding has been authorized for those employees processing NFA applications.
• ATF has cross-trained LIEs from various other ATF branches to support NFA application processing. This is an ongoing process and has already beneficially impacted application processing.
• ATF has dedicated additional data entry contract resources to reduce the time it takes for an application to be entered into the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record (NFRTR). As a result, data entry time has already been reduced from eight weeks to two weeks.