We can only guess these gun dealers became confused by BATFE's recent public comment period for its proposal on NFA firearms and legal entities (ATF 41P). That 90 day comment period is one of the requirements the federal government must satisfy before a decision can be made whether to adopt a proposed change in federal rules and regulations. Ideally, the public comment period collects feedback to a proposal, which a federal agency, like BATFE, would thoughtfully review before any decisions made. 

In the case of 41P, BATFE received over 9,000 comments. Their response?  They announced a final decision on the status of their proposal might not happen until June 2014. At which time, they might decide to drop, change, delay, or adopt the proposal. To be clear, June of next year is not a date certain for a change in the rules. It is only a projection of when BATFE might make a decision about the fate of its proposal. If they later decide to adopt a change, they must still give the public enough time to learn and prepare before a new rule would take effect. 

For now, nothing has changed. In fact, the more important news re NFA firearms registration is ATF eFile. While many people focused on the proposal process, BATFE launched its new electronic filing system to slash the backlog for NFA tax stamps. We're consistently receiving reports of tax stamps arriving after 3-4 months instead of 12-13 months. 

Arsenal Attorneys is observing an increase in demand for NFA firearms. We want to help the public and gun dealers understand there has never been a more important time to establish an Arsenal Gun Trust and file applications for NFA firearms. Further, we encourage prospective NFA firearms buyers to confirm their FFL/SOT gun dealer is prepared to submit their paperwork to BATFE using ATF eFile.