U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- First and foremost, we at the American Suppressor Association hope that you and your families remain healthy and safe throughout the duration of the coronavirus pandemic. At this point, nearly every facet society has been disrupted for the near future. In the uncertain times that lie ahead, we must all do our part to stop or slow the spread of this virus.
That said, we at ASA remain committed to our job of protecting your right to purchase, possess, and transfer firearm suppressors. As the suppressor industry trade association, right now our top priority is ensuring that NFA applications continue to be processed.
For the past month, the American Suppressor Association has spoken with our contacts at ATF each week, receiving regular updates on NFA Division operations. We are pleased to report that the NFA Division is continuing to process and approve transfers of every type. Thankfully, unlike the complete government shutdown in early 2019, at this time we do not expect to see significant effects on transfer times based on NFA’s current operating procedures.
When we first spoke with ATF about coronavirus on March 13th, they informed us that they were developing a way to process NFA applications remotely. Thankfully, their planning has paid off as the overwhelming majority of NFA examiners and contractors are now working remotely.
While they remain able to process NFA applications, they do not have all their normal resources at their disposal. Because the examiners are now working remotely, their ability to respond to transfer status calls has been tremendously diminished. For this reason, we encourage you to refrain from calling NFA for status checks during this time. Doing so will waste precious time and resources that would otherwise be allocated to processing your form and the forms of thousands of other applicants in the same position as you.
Make no mistake, we are not making excuses for the intolerable wait times that are brought on by ATFs antiquated process. However, to the extent possible, we need to do everything we can to remove any additional delays. Reducing the number of inquiries will allow NFA examiners to focus on approvals and limit any loss in processing efficiency caused by the need to work remotely. However, you *should* respond to any direct inquiry you receive from NFA, such as a request for missing documents or an error letter.
As always, we will keep our members informed of any changes as information becomes available.
HR 6126 – End the Normalized Delay on Suppressors (ENDS) Act
About The American Suppressor Association
The American Suppressor Association (ASA) is the unified voice of the suppressor community. We exist for one reason and one reason only: to fight for pro-suppressor reform nationwide. The ability of the American Suppressor Association to fight for pro-suppressor reform is tied directly to our ability to fundraise.
Since the ASA’s formation in 2011, 3 states have legalized suppressor ownership and 18 states have legalized suppressor hunting. Much of this would not have happened without your support. For more information on how you can join us in the fight to help protect and expand your right to own and use suppressors, visit www.AmericanSuppressorAssociation.com.