Suppressor wait times

[wesfromky]

Been there, resubmitted. It sucks, but sounds like you'll get approved in time.


Nope, you would have to resubmit with each party filling out the Responsible Person Questionnaire, photo, and prints.


This is not a requirement for suppressors. Short barreled rifles and other items, yes. Suppressors, no. The ATF might like you to inform them though.

I am not fully up on the various trusts, so that was not legal advice, etc...

However, you do need to notify the ATF if you move with silencers, in state or out of state. There is some conflicting info out there, but the link talks about it as well. I just did this not that long ago - you can email the forms to the atf vs mailing/faxing.

Moving With a Suppressor

Moving is already a headache, don’t stress about your silencer collection. We’ll walk you through how to move with a silencer, in-state or across state lines, simply.

www.silencershop.com

 

[4090Sharps]

I am not fully up on the various trusts, so that was not legal advice, etc...

However, you do need to notify the ATF if you move with silencers, in state or out of state. There is some conflicting info out there, but the link talks about it as well. I just did this not that long ago - you can email the forms to the atf vs mailing/faxing.

Moving With a Suppressor

Moving is already a headache, don’t stress about your silencer collection. We’ll walk you through how to move with a silencer, in-state or across state lines, simply.

www.silencershop.com

Silencershop advises people to do so, but the ATF does not require it for suppressors. You can even see in the comments where Silencershop acknowledges it is not a requirement for suppressors.

 

[wesfromky]

Silencershop advises people to do so, but the ATF does not require it for suppressors. You can even see in the comments where Silencershop acknowledges it is not a requirement for suppressors.

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Lot's of conflicting info, but It is part of the form 4 now - https://www.guntrustlawyer.com/form20/

Personally, I love my dog, so I fill out the paperwork...

 

[Dave C.]

Silencershop advises people to do so, but the ATF does not require it for suppressors. You can even see in the comments where Silencershop acknowledges it is not a requirement for suppressors.

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Exactly. Gotta remember that the advice provided by SS, SC, etc is written by overly cautious, overreactive attorneys who take liberty with interpreting the law and don't want to jeopardize their clients due to somebody misinterpreting their advice. So, they err on the side of being ridiculous and tell people to do things they don't have to do just as a precautionary measure. I honestly believe most of these attorneys are only vaguely familiar with firearms and the terminology and so they apply some of these rules to EVERYTHING rather than acknowledge they don't know what the hell they're reading to the client.

 

[gman82001]

Pretty sure the ATF also said a piece of plastic on the back of my firearm was perfectly legal for a bunch of years as well.
Even though I play the stamp game I’d make 100% sure I did it properly rather than just taking advice online. Not saying guys don’t know what they’re talking about but straight from the horses mouth or a lawyer that deals with this stuff is what I’d do.

 

[PlumberED]

Pretty sure the ATF also said a piece of plastic on the back of my firearm was perfectly legal for a bunch of years as well.
Even though I play the stamp game I’d make 100% sure I did it properly rather than just taking advice online. Not saying guys don’t know what they’re talking about but straight from the horses mouth or a lawyer that deals with this stuff is what I’d do.

Good point, best to get legal advice from the professionals, especially when the stakes are high and or dealing with the feds.

 

[atmat]

Two guys on Reddit this morning reported approvals after just certifying in April with trusts. Craziness.

 

[NMTGrad]

Hello all. I am a very long time lurker and very infrequent poster, but I do feel a need to mention something here. I work for the USG and have extensive experience with background investigations, security clearances, etc. Just so folks know, holding any kind of USG security clearance is irrelevant to the background check associated with purchasing firearms and/or suppressors. The databases that are searched for firearms and/or suppressor purchases do not, in any way, interface with the USG’s databases where security clearances are maintained. It makes me kinda crazy when I hear LGS sales people state that approvals or denials for a weapons sale is somehow related to the customer having or not having a security clearance. If this was true, people with TS/SCIs would be approved much faster because they are subjected to “continuous vetting” as part of holding that clearance, and Uncle Sam pretty much knows what they are up to versus the Average Joe. I speak from experience here. I have had to wait about the average amount of time for all of my suppressor purchases.

Coming from the perspective of a USG supervisor in an agency that regularly interfaces with ATF the reality is that ATF, Iike my agency, is badly understaffed. People quit or retire, and it takes the USG ages to replace them. I lost my only fiscal support person from my unit thirteen months ago, and I still cannot get an answer from HQS about when I can realistically expect a replacement. So while it’s fun to poke at the Democrats, or the Republicans, or the Libertarians, or to conjure up conspiracy theories, the truth is that ATF just doesn’t have enough people to grind out the forms, and of the people they do have, some work faster, some work slower, and most likely, some don’t work at all. All you can do is hope that your paperwork makes it to the guy or gal who works faster….

 

[Dave C.]

Hello all. I am a very long time lurker and very infrequent poster, but I do feel a need to mention something here. I work for the USG and have extensive experience with background investigations, security clearances, etc. Just so folks know, holding any kind of USG security clearance is irrelevant to the background check associated with purchasing firearms and/or suppressors. The databases that are searched for firearms and/or suppressor purchases do not, in any way, interface with the USG’s databases where security clearances are maintained. It makes me kinda crazy when I hear LGS sales people state that approvals or denials for a weapons sale is somehow related to the customer having or not having a security clearance. If this was true, people with TS/SCIs would be approved much faster because they are subjected to “continuous vetting” as part of holding that clearance, and Uncle Sam pretty much knows what they are up to versus the Average Joe. I speak from experience here. I have had to wait about the average amount of time for all of my suppressor purchases.

Coming from the perspective of a USG supervisor in an agency that regularly interfaces with ATF the reality is that ATF, Iike my agency, is badly understaffed. People quit or retire, and it takes the USG ages to replace them. I lost my only fiscal support person from my unit thirteen months ago, and I still cannot get an answer from HQS about when I can realistically expect a replacement. So while it’s fun to poke at the Democrats, or the Republicans, or the Libertarians, or to conjure up conspiracy theories, the truth is that ATF just doesn’t have enough people to grind out the forms, and of the people they do have, some work faster, some work slower, and most likely, some don’t work at all. All you can do is hope that your paperwork makes it to the guy or gal who works faster….

Well, maybe they should reallocate personnel from performing unnecessary raids targeting conservatives.

 

[NMTGrad]

Well, maybe they should reallocate personnel from performing unnecessary raids targeting conservatives.

Don’t turn my comments into a political conversation. That’s part of why I rarely post comments. I’m not here for political banter, nor am I interested in anyone taking my statements and using it for that. My comments were made only to assist people with better understanding the process. If you know anything about the USG, agencies cannot simply “reallocate” personnel. That requires re-classification of an employee’s job series. And please don’t turn that into political commentary, either, about the inefficiencies of the USG. We all know the USG is inefficient. It’s a bureaucracy.

 

[atmat]

Well, maybe they should reallocate personnel from performing unnecessary raids targeting conservatives.

Oh I’m sure this will be a fun, level-headed, on-topic conversation.

 

[Tahoe1305]

Hello all. I am a very long time lurker and very infrequent poster, but I do feel a need to mention something here. I work for the USG and have extensive experience with background investigations, security clearances, etc. Just so folks know, holding any kind of USG security clearance is irrelevant to the background check associated with purchasing firearms and/or suppressors. The databases that are searched for firearms and/or suppressor purchases do not, in any way, interface with the USG’s databases where security clearances are maintained. It makes me kinda crazy when I hear LGS sales people state that approvals or denials for a weapons sale is somehow related to the customer having or not having a security clearance. If this was true, people with TS/SCIs would be approved much faster because they are subjected to “continuous vetting” as part of holding that clearance, and Uncle Sam pretty much knows what they are up to versus the Average Joe. I speak from experience here. I have had to wait about the average amount of time for all of my suppressor purchases.

Coming from the perspective of a USG supervisor in an agency that regularly interfaces with ATF the reality is that ATF, Iike my agency, is badly understaffed. People quit or retire, and it takes the USG ages to replace them. I lost my only fiscal support person from my unit thirteen months ago, and I still cannot get an answer from HQS about when I can realistically expect a replacement. So while it’s fun to poke at the Democrats, or the Republicans, or the Libertarians, or to conjure up conspiracy theories, the truth is that ATF just doesn’t have enough people to grind out the forms, and of the people they do have, some work faster, some work slower, and most likely, some don’t work at all. All you can do is hope that your paperwork makes it to the guy or gal who works faster….

That’s a great perspective and we all appreciate it (regardless if some appear not to!)

 

[5811]

https://g.co/kgs/p7Defn

If you ever want to feel good about any government agency, just look at the Wisconsin DSPS Google reviews. People are depending on licensure for their jobs, for their livelihood.

 

[NMTGrad]

https://g.co/kgs/p7Defn

If you ever want to feel good about any government agency, just look at the Wisconsin DSPS Google reviews. People are depending on licensure for their jobs, for their livelihood.

Every time my agency makes me insane, someone is good enough to point to one that is worse. It’s not in the nature of a bureaucracy to grow smaller. Or more efficient.

 

[NMTGrad]

But to get the topic back on track, I certified my forms for two suppressors on 3/22/23 and 3/23/23. I called ATF last week to inquire about the status, and I was told it was still “pending” which means it hasn’t even been assigned to a human yet. Hopefully, they will be assigned soon, and I’ll have them before my December deer hunt. And hopefully when they are assigned, they go to Blue Flame Bob and not Burnout Barry for processing.

 

[5811]

But to get the topic back on track, I certified my forms for two suppressors on 3/22/23 and 3/23/23. I called ATF last week to inquire about the status, and I was told it was still “pending” which means it hasn’t even been assigned to a human yet. Hopefully, they will be assigned soon, and I’ll have them before my December deer hunt. And hopefully when they are assigned, they go to Blue Flame Bob and not Burnout Barry for processing.

I'm in the same situation. I'd love to have one before my November deer hunt, but im not banking on it.

I cant tell if I like that it's a lottery of sorts and you might "win" and get approved in a reasonable time, or if that just makes the wait seem longer. I told myself I'd just bank on it being a year and not think about it, but it's hard not to see those quick approvals come in and think, "That's gonna be me. I'm a winner."

 

[4090Sharps]

I'm sitting at day 229 for my Resistance 22M. My last approval came through in June after 235 days, so I'm getting excited now. Could be today, could be in 100 days....

 

[latts]

194 days using Capitol Armory, filed as individual on Feb 16th this year.

 

[Andouille]

Approved today! Submitted Jan 29, 2022 on my behalf by SC. 263 days for approval, now just need SC to ship the silencer to a local FFL.
I concur with MT_Wyatt's assessment below. SC provides an easy, but slow way to get a silencer. I'd probably have one in hand by now if I'd gone through my local shop and jumped a few extra hoops.

My moose and maybe black bear hunting is this month, so I guess the silencer will be nice for me to stare at all winter.

 

[MT_Wyatt]

Well, as promised, checking back in on SC process:

Wednesday 8/9 approval (overnight). Did paperwork immediately and signed before 8am the next morning. Local LE mail notification was delivered on 8/14. I emailed SC for a status update and got a response on 8/15 saying the earliest they could ship to the in state FFL would be 8/21 (ie 7D from notification). I sent another note and called on 8/23 asking for an update (I got no response from SC), and got tracking information on Friday 8/25 that is was leaving SD and headed to MT. It was delivered on 8/28 to MT FFL, then today 2nd mailing from FFL to my house for delivery Thursday, 8/31 or ~3 weeks after approval.

I've been pretty unimpressed with their process post approval. It's crazy it takes an entire week from when they COULD ship it to when they did to in-state FFL. Whoever at SC is telling people they mail to in-state FFL while awaiting LE response is either wrong, or they suck at their process. Either way, shouldn't be that hard to que packages in piles based on permitted ship date for pickup. They may not do that b/c they don't want chances for the process to break down and having something ship out that should not, and breaking whatever special agreement they have with ATF? Who knows.

Anyone ordering from SC should expect 3 week min wait for delivery after approval based on my experience. I expected about a 2 week delay as a convenience trade off, but whatever. I'd tell anyone consisdering using them that they indeed make it turn key, will let you lay away the suppressor into 4 monthly payments at 0%, they make the paperwork a breeze, they really suffer on the CS front (must be scaling and overloading all their people), they are slow as hell on the backend, and literally mail it straight to you, albiet in 2-steps. Whether or not that is worth it, or okay for an individual is entirely up to them. From what I gather, there's some other paths that are almost as easy and much quicker post-approval. That's my SC experience.