Is efile up or down?

Machineguntony · June 11, 2014, 03:11 PM

I hear different things from different dealers.

Some say they can efile, some say it is down and paper filing is the only option right now.

Isn't efile availability the same for everyone across the country?

Is efile really up or down?

I just hate the idea of waiting 10 more months. Ten months for things that I have already paid for!!! Grrrrrrrrr!!!!

I understand they have to make sure that criminals and the crazies do not get a hold of things like machine guns, baseball bats, and silencers, but why do they have to repeatedly run the exact same background check all over again, within the same calendar year?!! Rhetorical rant.

**Tom Servo** · June 11, 2014, 05:41 PM

Some days, it's just completely down. Some days, it's up, but it only shows Form 6's.

I haven't been able to file anything for almost two months now.

Sharkbite · June 11, 2014, 05:49 PM

My dealer ( who im buying another can from this weekend ) says it will not take form 4's at all. Paper is the only way to go. He further informed me the he had spoken to the ATF at length and was told form 4's may not be back on eforms at all

ATF says they are working to restore form 3's as a way to streamline the dealer to dealer process but dont see putting form 4's back up

Im going to submit this one on paper and get the ball at least started. I guess eforms was a flash in the pan and those of us that got to use it should be grateful to our benevolent Govt for the opportunity to pay all that money in taxes

Machineguntony · June 11, 2014, 10:11 PM

Thanks for the info, gents.

boltomatic · June 12, 2014, 07:56 AM

The eForms system is scheduled to be down every Wednesday, that is when they do most of the work on the system.

As can be seen on the homepage, the ATF is working hard to get this system running. The NFA branch brings in a TON of money, $200 per form processed (for forms 1 and 4 at least) and all they need to pay for is the man hours to process them. Moving to an electronic system will allow them to process more forms in less time with less staff, increasing their profit capabilities even further.

The point I'm trying to make is, they want this system up as much as we do, probably even more. There's no reason to think they will not be putting form 4's back up, currently you can only file a form 4 via eForms if you have a trust. To file a form 4 without a trust is harder because you would need to digitize your picture, your fingerprint card, and your sheriff's signature in some kind of standardized way.

So, the ATF clearly wants this system up and running and they claim to be getting up in the short term, I guess we'll just have to wait and see. In the meantime, file on paper. They are prioritizing paper forms and have hired an extra 15 staff members to increase their capabilities. If the eForm system comes back online, you can always withdraw your paper application and resubmit it via eForms.

**Tom Servo** · June 12, 2014, 09:09 AM

Quote:

The eForms system is scheduled to be down every Wednesday, that is when they do most of the work on the system.

Wednesdays I can understand, but what about the rest of the week? Even when I can get on, only Form 6's are available to process. It's been that way for two months. Even prior to that, it was nearly impossible to get on due to various system glitches and traffic-management problems.

Quote:

The point I'm trying to make is, they want this system up as much as we do, probably even more.

I've spoken to them several times, and that really does not appear to be the case. If it was, they'd be giving us specifics and timeframes. The attitude seems to be, "it'll be up when it's up."

Quote:

In the meantime, file on paper. They are prioritizing paper forms and have hired an extra 15 staff members to increase their capabilities.

Sorry, but I've seen no evidence of that. Paper forms are consistently taking 9-10 months right now. We've heard this promise from them innumerable times, but the lead times keep getting longer.

dogtown tom · June 12, 2014, 06:22 PM

Quote:

boltomatic The eForms system is scheduled to be down every Wednesday, that is when they do most of the work on the system.

And they've been doing that "work" for a year with little to no improvement.

Quote:

The NFA branch brings in a TON of money, $200 per form processed (for forms 1 and 4 at least) and all they need to pay for is the man hours to process them.

Ummmm..................it ain't a business, and they have ZERO incentive to process forms in an efficient and fast manner.

Their budget is the same regardless if they process ten or 10,000 forms a month.

Quote:

Moving to an electronic system will allow them to process more forms in less time with less staff, increasing their profit capabilities even further.

That there is funny. How much "profit" did ATF earn last year?

Quote:

The point I'm trying to make is, they want this system up as much as we do, probably even more.

Only the contractor for the software really wants it up and running.

Quote:

There's no reason to think they will not be putting form 4's back up...

There's plenty of reasons............IT DOESN'T WORK being the primary one.

Quote:

They are prioritizing paper forms.....

Prioritizing paper over what? Currently, there is no other way to submit forms.

**Tom Servo** · June 24, 2014, 05:05 PM

The ATF sent out a letter to licensees today. They've promised "performance enhancements" to the system, and they claim to be adding 15 more examiners. They also say they're going to be adding Form 1's back into the system soon, but no word on Form 4's.

tmorone · June 24, 2014, 05:48 PM

This is what they sent:
Good afternoon:

We are pleased to announce the following updates to the eForms system:

1. Performance enhancements - We were able to address some of the technical issues. You will see improvements in the overall performance of the system.

2. We are able to add the ATF Form 1 back to the eForms system. Our plans are to closely monitor the performance of the system in order to determine if we will be able to add additional forms back to the system.
Below is an update on the status on our processing of paper and electronic NFA applications. In the future, this information will be available through links on the eForms login screen:

June 11, 2014, 03:11 PM	#1
Machineguntony Senior Member Join Date: June 22, 2013 Posts: 1,277	Is efile up or down? I hear different things from different dealers. Some say they can efile, some say it is down and paper filing is the only option right now. Isn't efile availability the same for everyone across the country? Is efile really up or down? I just hate the idea of waiting 10 more months. Ten months for things that I have already paid for!!! Grrrrrrrrr!!!! I understand they have to make sure that criminals and the crazies do not get a hold of things like machine guns, baseball bats, and silencers, but why do they have to repeatedly run the exact same background check all over again, within the same calendar year?!! Rhetorical rant. __________________ Sent from Motorola DynaTac 8000x

June 11, 2014, 05:41 PM	#2
Tom Servo Staff Join Date: September 27, 2008 Location: Foothills of the Appalachians Posts: 13,059	Some days, it's just completely down. Some days, it's up, but it only shows Form 6's. I haven't been able to file anything for almost two months now. __________________ Sometimes it’s nice not to destroy the world for a change. --Randall Munroe

June 11, 2014, 10:11 PM	#4
Machineguntony Senior Member Join Date: June 22, 2013 Posts: 1,277	Thanks for the info, gents. __________________ Sent from Motorola DynaTac 8000x

June 12, 2014, 07:56 AM	#5
boltomatic Member Join Date: March 25, 2014 Posts: 98	Scheduled downtime on wednsdays The eForms system is scheduled to be down every Wednesday, that is when they do most of the work on the system. As can be seen on the homepage, the ATF is working hard to get this system running. The NFA branch brings in a TON of money, $200 per form processed (for forms 1 and 4 at least) and all they need to pay for is the man hours to process them. Moving to an electronic system will allow them to process more forms in less time with less staff, increasing their profit capabilities even further. The point I'm trying to make is, they want this system up as much as we do, probably even more. There's no reason to think they will not be putting form 4's back up, currently you can only file a form 4 via eForms if you have a trust. To file a form 4 without a trust is harder because you would need to digitize your picture, your fingerprint card, and your sheriff's signature in some kind of standardized way. So, the ATF clearly wants this system up and running and they claim to be getting up in the short term, I guess we'll just have to wait and see. In the meantime, file on paper. They are prioritizing paper forms and have hired an extra 15 staff members to increase their capabilities. If the eForm system comes back online, you can always withdraw your paper application and resubmit it via eForms.

June 24, 2014, 05:05 PM	#8
Tom Servo Staff Join Date: September 27, 2008 Location: Foothills of the Appalachians Posts: 13,059	The ATF sent out a letter to licensees today. They've promised "performance enhancements" to the system, and they claim to be adding 15 more examiners. They also say they're going to be adding Form 1's back into the system soon, but no word on Form 4's. __________________ Sometimes it’s nice not to destroy the world for a change. --Randall Munroe

June 11, 2014, 05:49 PM	#3
Sharkbite Senior Member Join Date: November 4, 2013 Location: Western slope of Colorado Posts: 3,679	My dealer ( who im buying another can from this weekend ) says it will not take form 4's at all. Paper is the only way to go. He further informed me the he had spoken to the ATF at length and was told form 4's may not be back on eforms at all ATF says they are working to restore form 3's as a way to streamline the dealer to dealer process but dont see putting form 4's back up Im going to submit this one on paper and get the ball at least started. I guess eforms was a flash in the pan and those of us that got to use it should be grateful to our benevolent Govt for the opportunity to pay all that money in taxes

June 24, 2014, 05:48 PM	#9
tmorone Senior Member Join Date: October 22, 2010 Posts: 221	This is what they sent: Good afternoon: We are pleased to announce the following updates to the eForms system: 1. Performance enhancements - We were able to address some of the technical issues. You will see improvements in the overall performance of the system. 2. We are able to add the ATF Form 1 back to the eForms system. Our plans are to closely monitor the performance of the system in order to determine if we will be able to add additional forms back to the system. Below is an update on the status on our processing of paper and electronic NFA applications. In the future, this information will be available through links on the eForms login screen: