FAQ

Visit the /r/NFA community on Reddit and find the eForm 4 Megathread stickied on the main page. Review and follow the submission guidelines for that Megathread & post. Shortly after posting, you data will be included in these dashboards.

Submit your data using the form on this site. Using this form helps to provide consistent data for our dashboards. Here's a breakdown of the questions ask:

First Page of Form

1. Pending [date] - the day you "certified" & submitted your eForm 4. This is the date you should have received an email from eforms.notifications@atf.gov, notifying you that your form status has, "changed to SUBMITTED/IN PROCESS"

2. Approved [date] - the day you received your eForm 4 approval.

3. Days [numeric] - this is the number of days you waited for approval. It is calculated using this equation: "[Approved] - [Pending]". The form will automatically populate this for you.

4. Entity [radio button, single selection] - indicate if you submitted as an "Individual" or used a "Trust"

5. Dealer [radio button, single selection] - this is a generalization for the type of SOT/FFL who transferred the item to you. The majority of submittals are completed using a Silencer Shop kiosk at a local gun store - the dealer for these approvals would be "SS". Other options include "CA" (Capitol Armory), "SC" (Silencer Central), and "LGS" (Local Gun Store or independant FFL without a SS kiosk)

6. Fingerprint Type [radio button, single selection] - did you use a fingerprint scanner to create & upload an "Electronic EFT" or did you use ink + paper to mail your fingerprints?

7. eForm 4 Item Type [radio button, single selection] - what type of NFA item was this approval for? The options are "Silencer", "SBR / SBS" (Short Barrel Rifle or Shotgun), "Machine Gun", or "DD" (Destructive Device)

8. US State [dropdown picklist] - standard 2 letter abbreviation for your US State

9. Username [short answer character text] - Reddit username - this may be left blank if you post about the Approval in the Reddit Megathread. 

10. Responsible Parties (RP) [short answer numeric text] - this will only be asked if you selected "Trust" for your "Entity"

Final Page of Form

1. ATF Examiner [dropdown picklist] - this is the ATF Examiner who Approved your eForm 4 & can be determined using the signature on your Approval. Skim the ATF Examiner Signature Library if you're unable to decipher the name.

2. Miscellaneous Questions [radio button, multi-select] - please select all that apply; these questions provide some context. Example: "First NFA Item" or "Expedited Form"

3. Item Manufacturer [short answer character text] - who manufactured the NFA Item being approved. The questions about your Approved item are just for fun & are optional questions - most people find it interesting to see what's popular.

4. Item Model [short answer character text] - what is the model of this NFA Item

5. Caliber [radio button, single selection] - if the specific bore/chamber size for your item is not listed, just selected the nearest option.

6. Timestamp [time as HH:MM:AM/PM] - this is the timestamp on your Approved email - please convert all timestamps to East Coast time, for consistency & because this is the time zone of the ATF Examiners office

7. Control Number [short answer numeric text] - you can find this in the subject line of the Pending & Approved email. The numbers should begin with the submittal year (e.g., "2022") and is assigned sequentially by the ATF eForm software. The email subject line should include "Permit/Control No: 2022XXXXXX"

8. Was this eForm 4 Approved? [radio button, single selection] - Yes or No. If your form was approved, select "Yes"; if it was disapproved, select "No"

Check your email - on your "pending" date, you would have received an email from sender eforms.notifications@atf.gov & the first sentence of that email will say: "This is to advise you that the status of your eForms submission with the subject Permit/Control number has changed to SUBMITTED/IN PROCESS"

Yes - if it's an eForm 4 Approval, the data has value even if it's months old - it doesn't need to be posted immediately after you receive the Approval email. 

Yes, if it's an eForm 4 Approval & they do not intend to post & you know the required information than more data adds value. Please ask your friends permission before you post. 

1. PENDING (MM/DD/YYYY date, user defined)

Specific date eForm was submitted or certified by user. On this date, the user receives an email notifying you that your form status has, "changed to SUBMITTED/IN PROCESS"

2. APPROVED (MM/DD/YYYY date, user defined)

Specific date eForm was approved. On this date, the user receives an email notifying you that your form status has, "changed to APPROVED"

3. WEEKDAY (text, derived value)

Day of the week a form was approved - calculated based on APPROVED field  [=CHOOSE(WEEKDAY("APPROVED",1),"Sunday","Monday","Tuesday","Wednesday","Thursday","Friday","Saturday")]

4. WAIT (TOTAL) (number, derived value)

Duration of wait for approval - calculated based on PENDING & APPROVED field [="APPROVED"-"PENDING"]

5. STATE (2 character, user defined)

US State where owner resides - for this dataset, State is recorded using the 2-character abbreviation for State

6. ENTITY (character, user defined)

eForms may be submitted for ownership approval by various entity types - the most common types being INDIVIDUAL (single owner) & TRUST (legal entity, 1 or more owners)

7. DEALER (character, user defined)

Entity who transfers final ownership to purchaser. There are currently 4 DEALER types in this dataset: 

• SS (submitted via a Silencer Shop Kiosk)

• LGS (submitted via a Local Gun Store or other 07/02 SOT license holder but did not use a SS Kiosk), 

• CA (submitted via Capitol Armory)

• No Info (user did not provide this information)

8. PRINT TYPE (character, user defined or derived)

There are 2 separate options for supplying the required fingerprints on an eForm 4 submittal:

• Upload a digital EFT file in the ATF required format, which is an electronic scan

• Mailing hard copy paper fingerprint cards, using ink + paper

Users are asked to specify PRINT TYPE or the value is derived by DEALER, because different dealers have established different norms in their process:

• SS (Silencer Shop Kiosk digitally scans applicants fingerprints for upload)

• LGS (this could be Electronic or Paper - currently, the consensus is that the majority of Local Gun Stores mail paper prints)

• CA (Capitol Armory typically submits fingerprints via mailed paper print card, but not always)

• No Info (user did not provide this information)

=IFS("DEALER"="SS", "Electronic", "DEALER"="CA", "Paper", "DEALER"="LGS", "Likely Paper?", "DEALER"="", "No Info", DEALER="No Info", "No Info")

9. 90 DAY? (checkbox, derived value)

This field indicates if an Approval exceeded a waiting period of 90 Days. This is derived from the calculated field WAIT (Total) [="APPROVED"-"PENDING"]. The 90 DAY? field is a boolean checkbox & is calculated using the formula: =IF("WAIT"<91,TRUE)

10. USER (character, derived value)

This is the Reddit username of the person providing information for a record

11. NUMBER OF RESPONSIBLE PARTIES (RP) (number, user defined)

A Trust will have 1 or more Responsible Parties (RP), depending on individual need or desire - with each RP the ATF requires a corresponding photo, set of fingerprints, & background check. Because of this additional content required for every additional RP, eForm 4's with multiple RP's may increase wait time.

12. TIMESTAMP (time, user defined)

When an eForm 4 submittal is reviewed & approved, the applicant is notified via email. This field is the timestamp of that approval email, converted to Eastern Standard Time (EST).

13. SPECIFICALLY MENTIONED PAPER PRINTS (checkbox, user defined)

When a user specifically mentions mailed paper fingerprint cards were used, this box is checked.

14. SPECIFICALLY MENTIONED ePRINTS (checkbox, user defined)

When a user specifically mentions an electronic fingerprint scan was used or an EFT file was uploaded, this box is checked.

15. APPROVER (character, user defined)

Every form approval receives a signature by the ATF Examiner who reviewed an eForm 4. Users may include this detail - names may be converted to "FIRSTNAME, LASTNAME INITIAL."

16. CONTACT REP (checkbox, user defined)

If a user mentions contacting their Congressional representative or similar, this checkbox is selected.

17. CONTACT ATF (checkbox, user defined)

If a user mentions contacting the ATF via email or phone, this checkbox is selected. This includes mention of emailing IPB@usdoj.gov

18. FIRST CAN (checkbox, user defined)

If a user mentions this is their first Form 4 or first silencer, this checkbox is selected.

19. MANUFACTURER (character, user defined)

If a user specifies the type of item they received, the manufacturer field is completed. 

20. MODEL (character, user defined)

If a user specifies the type of item they received with model specifics, the model field is completed. 

21. F4 ITEM (character, user defined)

eForm 4's may be completed for a variety of items - these items including Machine Guns (MG), Any Other Weapon (AOW), Short Barrel Rifles (SBR), & Silencers. Most often, eForm 4's are submitted for Silencers - this field will default to Silencer unless otherwise indicated by a user.

22. DISAPPROVED (character, user defined)

eForm 4's may be returned disapproved for a variety of reasons - when a user provides information for a Disapproved eForm 4, this checkbox is selected.

23. BATCH (checkbox, derived)

A record will be considered to have "Batch" Approval when all of the following conditions are met:

1. Two or more Approved forms for the same user on the same date at roughly the same time

2. Approval is processed by the same Examiner

3. Two or more different Pending dates with the same Approved date

24. CALIBER (character, derived or user provided)

Derived from user provided information on Manufacturer & Model

25. USER CAN COUNT (number, derived)

This is a formula field that counts the number of records by "USER" field - formula is =COUNTIF("USER",B2)

26. MORE THAN ONE? (checkbox, derived)

This is a formula field that will check the checkbox if a user submitted 2 or more records - formula is =IF("USER CAN COUNT" > 1, TRUE)

27. PENDING MONTH (name) (number, derived)

This is a formula field that will complete the month number from the "PENDING" date field - formula is =MONTH("PENDING")

28. PENDING WEEK (character, derived)

Week number of each year, sequentially numbered.

29. APPROVED MONTH (name) (number, derived)

This is a formula field that will complete the month number from the "PENDING" date field - formula is =MONTH("APPROVED")

30. APPROVED WEEK (character, derived)

31. EXCEED 90 DAYS? (checkbox, derived)

32. HOUR OF APPROVAL EMAIL (number, derived)

=HOUR("TIMESTAMP")

33. AM / PM (character, derived)

34. SIGNIFICANT OUTLIER (checkbox, derived)

Outliers are typically the result of an FFL permanently closing or military PCS (Permanent Change of Station) orders.