Current NFA Wait Times
Most ATF silencer approvals are coming back in just a couple of days now! Early in 2024, the ATF made some massive changes in the way they process your Form 4 application to buy a silencer. Now, 70% of applicants with a relatively clean FBI file and no screw-ups in the application are being approved in hours or just a few days! Those 6-to-12-month waits that haunted silencers for decades are now just a bad memory.
Trusts often take a few weeks longer, especially if there are more Responsible Persons or if the trust is not one of the mass-produced trusts that the ATF has already read and approved.
People with a more ‘interesting’ FBI file, or who can be confused with someone who is interesting will take longer to verify, but still nothing like the many months it used to take.
Of course, typos, bad data, incomplete data, and all other mistakes in filling out the forms will still result in delays. But your dealer does lots of these and knows how to do them correctly, so let them do their job, and they will get your silencer in your hands quickly in most cases.
If you want more specifics on exactly how long your ATF forms will take, you can check out the ATF website here.
Can you check the status of your form?
If you’ve been waiting for a few weeks or more for a silencer purchased after February 2024, and you want to know the status of your application, just call the NFA Branch at (304) 616-4500. They’ll ask for your name and the serial number of the suppressor, as well as the name of the person (or business name) who transferred it to you. Use the exact name from the confirmation email you got when your dealer submitted the electronic transfer. Remember that the estimate they provide for approval time is just an estimate, which could change.