ATF Processes Record Number of NFA Forms In February

There has been some concern about staffing levels in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Nation Firearms Act (NFA) division from the gun world. Many worried that federal budget cuts would slow down the NFA Division’s processing of applications. With broad cuts to government probationary employees and government buyouts, many wondered how that would affect the department responsible for approving NFA applications. Thanks to the American Suppressor Association (ASA), we now have hard data to verify if these are real concerns.

The ASA held a call with ATF NFA Division Chief Stephen Albro about the status of the department. Staffing levels at the NFA Division remain at the same level as it was during SHOT Show at the end of January, meaning rumors of cuts of employees that have been circulating are false. No NFA Division employees took the buyout. The NFA Division has five probationary employees who were at risk of being cut, but all those employees survived the government cuts.

NFA productivity is up with a record number of NFA forms processed. The NFA division processed 157,673 applications, which set a new monthly record for the NFA Division. Of those 157,673 applications, 100,747 were Form 4s. This number is down from 103,542 taken in in January. Overall, there were 35,950 fewer NFA applications than in January. This number represents 9% fewer NFA forms than the first month of the year, but February has 10% fewer days, meaning the numbers remain stable across the months. In 2024, 95.7% of all Form 4s were for suppressors. There is no reason to believe suppressors are not still fueling the growth of NFA applications.

January saw an increase in NFA wait times. This delay was caused by the NFA Division clearing out a large number of delayed/denied background checks. The wait times came down significantly in February. Individual Form 4s took on average, 20 days in December. That wait time increased to 42 days In January. Last month, the wait shrank back down to 24 days. In December, trust applications took an average of 34 days. That average increased to 48 days in January but returned to 34 days in February. The individual median wait time for suppressors did grow in February over January. The median wait time in January was 13 days. That number increased to 17 days in February.

A bug was identified in eForms that prevented applicants with a “cadence” or name suffix (e.g., Jr., Sr., II, III, IV, etc.) from submitting a form using the ATF’s electronic system. This instance of the error isn’t the first time the bug has emerged. It has happened in the past, and the ATF thought it was fixed, but it has returned. The NFA Division is aware of the intermittent problem and expects to have a fix shortly. The NFA Division depends on the ATF’s Information Technology Division to fix the eForm system. They do not have their own developers.

Forms are still being processed at a record pace and should continue to speed up, meaning it is probably the best time in history to acquire NFA items.

About John Crump

Mr. Crump is an NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. John has written about firearms, interviewed people from all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons, follow him on X at @crumpyss, or at www.crumpy.com.