Latest Class III: Guesses on Wait Time

[scoutfsu]

Not going to debate. Just reporting what the official trade organization for NFA weapons (dealers and collectors) recommends.

I'll let the board members make up their own mind on what causes delays.

If you have an interest in preserving the ownership of NFA weapons, I highly recommend membership.

NFATCA

Good, don't debate......because you're wrong. You're not talking to the actual examiners, taking away their time. You are correct on the 5 months though. Some are getting them sooner, almost all are getting them around that 5 month mark. NFA tracker is hopelessly out of date right now too. The numbers have been slowly climbing but are hardly representative of actual times.

ETA: I agree on not calling until around the 5 month mark though. Maybe the 4 month mark to see when you went pending......but after that, I don't see the point unless you're running a weird late time.

[Capbyrd]

I actually recommend calling around the one month mark to make sure you are pending. It's a good thing to do so you can make sure everything is moving along

[TMF]

I mailed out my packet today from Montgomery County. I will keep the thread posted on the progress although it seems it is a crapshoot from one to the other.

BTW, big +1 for Montgomery County Sheriff's Office. So incredibly easy to deal with and the turn around is only 1 day to get the Sheriff to sign. Also, the secretary and SO retiree on the 5th floor were beyond helpful and were well versed on the subject. If anyone is getting their paperwork ready in Montgomery County, don't let the prospect of having a hard time there hold you up; they are just awesome.

[Dolomite_supafly]

Glad to hear your LE gave you no issues. Mine didn't either when I finally tracked him down.

As far as time goes it is a crapshoot. Some examiners take a couple of weeks while others take much longer. I have been told if you have a background of some sort, which I am sure you do, it can take a bit longer. The reason I was told is during the investigation the examiner sees that you HAD an active clearance that is now either inactive or expired. Because you no longer have an active clearance they have to determine the reason it is no longer active, whether it just expired or if it was pulled for another reason. Depending on the number of clearances you have or had this can extend the timeframe.

I do know that my examiner has a long track record of taking less than 2 weeks to complete her investigations. But my investigation took almost 2 months to complete from the time it went pending. The only reason I can think is I have had a number of clearances from various sponsors with some being expired and some being inactive.

Dolomite

[TMF]

The reason I was told is during the investigation the examiner sees that you HAD an active clearance that is now either inactive or expired. Because you no longer have an active clearance they have to determine the reason it is no longer active, whether it just expired or if it was pulled for another reason. Depending on the number of clearances you have or had this can extend the timeframe.

They check your clearance? I didn't know that was a part of the investigation. Mine is still active so do you think that will speed things up or having a clearance at all will slow things down? I guess my curiousity is peaked now in regards to what they look into. I thought it was just criminal record or FBI watch list stuff.... God help me if we have to start sifting through the DD 214.... that'll be a long day and a lot of questions from an untrained observer.

[Dolomite_supafly]

I think a clearance that is no longer active, and why, would be their biggest concern and not an active one. Just because someone doesn't have a criminal record doesn't mean they can own firearms. A clearance can get pulled for an order of protection and it may not show up in a criminal history check.

I do not believe they look into DD214's only what kind of discharge. The same way they do for firearm purchases.

As far as clearances goes it doesn't really matter who the sponsor is or was. Each new investigation by a different sponsor is new investigation and done to the new sponsor's criteria. Some require a very extensive background investigation while others are only concerned with financials and a basic criminal history. Rarely do they use the clearance from another sponsor for their own even if the old clearance was higher. I waited longer for a secret clearance for one client than I did for my top secret from another client. The top secret was only about 3 months old when the secret clearance investigation was started. I asked why I had to go through another when I had a active TS. I was told the client had different areas that the TS didn't cover. They also issued a clearance for my wife even though she was not working on the clearance. They said it was because we shared the same household.

Clearances and the sponsor's criteria for keeping it can be very different from sponsor to sponsor. I had a friend who kept his clearance even though he had been arrested numerous times for bar fights. With the same client I have seen people get their clearances yanked for a DUI, drug use or even for being a few months late on bills. I spoke to a client about it and they said a bar fight isn't really a character or judgement flaw but a DUI or getting in over your head financially was.

Dolomite

[TMF]

Clearances and the sponsor's criteria for keeping it can be very different from sponsor to sponsor. I had a friend who kept his clearance even though he had been arrested numerous times for bar fights. With the same client I have seen people get their clearances yanked for a DUI, drug use or even for being a few months late on bills. I spoke to a client about it and they said a bar fight isn't really a character or judgement flaw but a DUI or getting in over your head financially was.

Dolomite

I should be good then. I was careful to get my clearance renewed on time after I saw a guy let it lapse on deployment. Not too long ago I was working with a buddy from back in the day who was a recovering Irish; since 2002 he'd been arrested multiple times for bar fights/disorderly type offenses that all ended up getting dropped. The sponsor required TS/SCI and a CI PG so this guy is sweating bullets. Even with all that in his background he had no issues.

[Dolomite_supafly]

Like I said it has more to do with the client/sponsor and what they are looking for than the person being clearanced. Some like the super aggressive types so they don't hold a few fights against you.

Your current clearance will have no bearing on future clearances by other clients. Rarely do different sponsors/clients look for the same criteria as other sponsors/clients. I am sure it does happen but I have been told by a couple of different sponsors/clients that it is extremely rare.

Dolomite

[dlm37015]

hope it dont take too long i bought a mac 10 powder springs and an m16 yesterday

[Dolomite_supafly]

Give it a week after your checks cash and call in to check the status. When it goes pending as for the examiner's name. I can look it up on another site to give you an idea of the current wait times for that examiner.

Dolomite

[Guest twpayne75]

hope it dont take too long i bought a mac 10 powder springs and an m16 yesterday

Dang. All I can afford that needs a stamp are suppressors.

Hoping to start the process on a new one soon.

[bonzii34]

Give it a week after your checks cash and call in to check the status. When it goes pending as for the examiner's name. I can look it up on another site to give you an idea of the current wait times for that examiner.

Dolomite

and now if you live in TN we all get Albert Lamberger luckily! if he is still fast that is. { ATF Open Letter }

just got word my stamp is in @ great outdoor store. pending 6-27, barely under the 5 month window, good job Chris Farris!

[Dolomite_supafly]

Wow, that is a long time. Mine took 97 days door to door.

Dolomite

[bonzii34]

Wow, that is a long time. Mine took 97 days door to door.

Dolomite

she was the 2nd slowest, and now i hear isn't employed there any longer luckily. i see the bbl was finally delivered btw!

[Dolomite_supafly]

and now if you live in TN we all get Albert Lamberger luckily! if he is still fast that is. { ATF Open Letter }

just got word my stamp is in @ great outdoor store. pending 6-27, barely under the 5 month window, good job Chris Farris!

Suzanne Santamaria did mine back in May. Lamberger does seem like a quicker one of the bunch.

There should be more than just 10 working on these. Everyone I talk to wants to buy something NFA but most aren't willing to wait the 3+ months to get it.

Dolomite

[Capbyrd]

NFATracker is a joke at this point. His formulas calculate average time since he started the database. The problem is that current wait times are much longer than the averages on his site. He needs to update the formulas to only calculate average times based on the current year. The problem there is that not enough people actually fill in information like they should.

As for the personnel issue, you are right. There need to be a lot more examiners. And based on the fact that it is hard for a small business to grow or even remain in business when shipping is based on these examiners, there are a couple of companies that are working congressmen for expansion of that department. Hopefully, we will see some movement in the right direction in coming months.

[jcoosi]

Well looks like Im fixing to add my name on the list within the next month finally decided to get my first two stamps.

[Capbyrd]

Just called again today and I've been pending with Lamberger since September 20th. Its a form 1 that I mailed on August 23rd.

Wait times are ridiculous right now.

[Il Duce]

Well this doesn't sound good for me

[Hershmeister]

hope it dont take too long i bought a mac 10 powder springs and an m16 yesterday

Out of curiosity, what are the going rates for these - I'm thinking of getting into nfa FA next year. Already been down the SBR road.

[Capbyrd]

M16s are around 12-15. Sometimes more depending on condition. Macs are running in the 3-4 range. If you are patient and vigilant in your search, there are still a few out there for less than 3.

[Jasongar8]

Just called again today and I've been pending with Lamberger since September 20th. Its a form 1 that I mailed on August 23rd.

Wait times are ridiculous right now.

Some old timers I know say it used to always take over a year to get your stamp. Back in the 90's I think.

[Capbyrd]

A year is too much. Seriously, way too long.

[dlm37015]

Out of curiosity, what are the going rates for these - I'm thinking of getting into nfa FA next year. Already been down the SBR road.

mac 10 with suppresser numbered to gun 1000.00 plus 2 200.00 transfers

colt m16 1500 but i bought these from a very good older friend going price for a mac 3500-4500 m16 10000-13000 stupid for guns that cost less than 500 new in the 70s

i did pick up a ruger 45/22 with supresser and a 9 mm supresser this weekend in knoxville at the gunshow for 600.00 for both plus 2 200.00 transfer tax stamps but the wait will be 4-6 months

[Dolomite_supafly]

You can find off brnd FA M-16's in the $8K-$10K range but you have to be looking hard and ready to buy.

If you want to get into a FA 5.56 cheap then look at the Ruger 5.56. They are in the $6K range

Prices do seem to be climbing as of the last year or so. About two years ago I was seeing Mac's for sale for under $3K and most had accessories. I have been looking for a while but can't bring myself to spend the money. My wife wants one but we both realize we would go broke feeding it.

I will say the biggest deal I passed on was a MAC with a Lage conversion in 9mm. It also had the 22 conversion that used 10/22 mags. Had a red dot on it and about a dozen mags. The guy was asking $2,800 for it. To build the same setup would cost clost to $5K.

I am content with my suppressor for now.

Dolomite