It’s almost as if they are an agency with no accountability or reason to improve their performance or something. What would be a simple process for anyone in private industry has been dragging out for ages with the ATF. Sadly, the ATF seems incapable of making the Form 4 useable with their eFile program. So Why The ATF Form 4?īecause long, long ago back in 1934, the government decided safety devices like silencers, rarely used weapons like machine guns, and handguns and things that could substitute for handguns were terrible, scary and only suitable for use in crime (or by government agents, but isn’t that really the same thing most of the time?) And while handguns were dropped by the NFA, we are stuck with a registration and regulation scheme that is quite literally racist in origin.Īnd while we aren’t freaking out about swarthy European immigrants with Tommy guns and Hollywood quiet suppressed pistols, the legal framework of the NFA still forces us to deal with all manner of perfectly normal and useful firearms and devices like silencers in a way that would make our Founding Fathers cringe.įorm 4 exists to facilitate most common NFA transfers between people and an FFL to an individual and for better or worse, we are stuck with it for the long haul. The Form 4 is your “I’m buying an NFA item today from a dealer or another person” form and that’s it. And they churned out a form and procedure for each and every one of them. The ATF has dreamed up every possible scenario for NFA transfers, ranging from dealer to dealer, to law enforcement officer to dealer and anything else you might think of. In other words, you are always using an ATF Form 4 to buy an NFA item from a dealer or private party. If somebody is selling an NFA item, then you take it to your friendly local FFL with an appropriate SOT and fill out a Form 4. But if you found the SBR of your dreams in a local gun shop, then you use a Form 4. So again, if you plan to turn your AR pistol into a SBR, you can’t use a Form 4. Well, you can buy an NFA item that has been already built. So just what can you do with an ATF Form 4? There are a few other oddball things you can’t do with a Form 4, but those are the important highlights. You can’t use a Form 4 to transfer from FFL to FFL.You can’t import an NFA item with a Form 4.You can’t export an NFA item with a Form 4.You can’t make a new NFA item with a Form 4. Here is what you can’t do with a Form 4, and then we can talk about when to use it. Pretty exciting stuff huh? What Can I Do (Or Not Do) With an ATF Form 4?Īs we mentioned, the ATF Form 4 is for retail or similar transfers of NFA items. Wait for your tax stamp to be approved (up to 1 year).Provide information about the NFA item (what it is, serial number, etc…).Provide information about the person or FFL you are buying the NFA item from.Provide identifying information including your fingerprints.If transferring from an estate, information about the descendant.Provide your name or the name of your trust or corporation and address.
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