Washington, DC – -(Ammoland.com)- On Sunday, F.A.I.R. Trade Group received an important update from the new NFA Division Chief Alphonso Hughes, which now provide to you in full:
“As some of you may know, on April 3, 2017, ATF – Office of EPS [Office of Enforcement Programs and Services] underwent a reorganization separating the operations of NFA Branch out into a standalone Division to better provide oversight, address performance indicators, and give the operations of this important industry functional area increased individual management control over specified NFA business lines.
“I will be leading the NFA Division as Division Chief and transitioning the operations of the former Firearms & Explosives Services Division (which includes Imports Branch, and both licensing centers) to Division Chief Gary Taylor. Gary Taylor’s contact number for FESD will be 304-616-4566.
“Within the NFA Division, two distinct branches and a Division Staff Program Office have been formed:
“The Industry Processing Branch (NFA IPB) – led by IPB Branch Chief, Amy L. Stely (304-616-4522) will oversee the daily operations of industry forms processing at all levels and work with me and all of you to provide the best experience we can for the supply chain. This will include an effort to continually leverage technology enhancements and refine current operations.
“The Government Support Branch (NFA GSB) – led by GSB Branch Chief, David Howell (304-616-4546) will oversee the daily processing of SOT applications, ATF Form 10 processing, 479.33 exemptions processing, handling of industry expedite requests for Gov’t and LE, complex issues requiring policy evaluation or re-evaluation with FEID & FIPB, and addressing Industry general requests such as 479.26 alternate procedure requests that are not policy related. Policy related requests will be handled by FIPB. GSB will directly support Federal, state, and local entities with acquisitions and overall LE support.
“The NFA Division Staff Program Office – led by Supervisory Program Analyst, Melissa Mason (304-616-4569) will oversee the publication of the Firearms Commerce in the United States – Annual Statistical Update, manage FOIA requests, respond to data calls, and will oversee the vetting of statistical data for posting on the ATF.gov website.
“I do have one request of you, and that is – if you had any pending requests (over 60 days old) into the former NFA Branch that has not been addressed or answered, can you please send the respective branch chief with a cc: to me a carbon copy of what was forwarded previously, in an effort to ensure continuity and our stride to ensuring customer service. Please only send inquiries that were sent directly to NFA Branch and not those spearheaded by other program areas (e.g. FATD or FIPB) that NFA may be assisting with in their execution.
“I am glad to be back in the ATF ranks and genuinely look forward to working with you moving forward.”
The F.A.I.R. Trade Group extends a warm welcome back to Mr. Hughes. We look forward to working with him and the rest of ATF on industry matters, including our pending petition to change the Form 9 to a notice submitted following lawful exportation, rather than an application to submitted prior to export.
The F.A.I.R. Trade Group is a 501(c) (6) organization dedicated since 1994 to protecting the interests of the firearms and ammunition import and export community. F.A.I.R. operates entirely on the funds derived from our dues-paying membership. If you are interested in becoming a member or contributing to the organization, please visit our website at: www.fairtradegroup.org.