If you’re one of the millions of Americans who shoot suppressed, then you’re familiar with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ (ATF) Form 4, the application required for the National Firearms Act (NFA) tax stamp processing. Since its inception in 2010, Silencer Shop has led the industry in NFA knowledge and currently helps prepare more than half of all Form 4s submitted to ATF each year. In a recent blog and video, we highlighted a solution to the question many of you asked: what is the latest news on ATF wait times? The answer: ATF eForms. It’s an electronic filing system that will eliminate paperwork and dramatically reduce your ATF wait times. For gun owners everywhere, this is a huge development to speed up the NFA purchasing process!

We’re a resource of information for firearms news and we’ve read all of your comments on Silencer Shop’s social media: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and  YouTube. As well as your questions at support@silencershop.com  Staying in touch with Silencer Shop is central and we’re here for the firearms community, and answering your most-asked questions about eForms.

According to an ATF announcement, there will be an upcoming launch of a new version of ATF eForms. In order to facilitate this upgrade, eForms will be offline during the following time frame:

• Upgrade Start: Friday, December 17 at 9 PM

Tentative Finish: Thursday, December 24 at 6 AM

Yes, Silencer Shop and its nationwide network of over 4,000 Powered By dealers will absolutely be able to assist with submissions to eForms! Find your nearest Powered By dealer here!

Silencer Shop’s eForm 1 service is coming soon! Sign up for our free newsletter for the latest updates.

In 2021, ATF Form 4 paper processing times averaged 7-10+ months. With the new electronic eForm 4 services, you’ll get your suppressors, SBRs, and other NFA items faster. According to the ATF, the new eForms is targeting an approval window of 90 days. ATF eForms wait time will be substantially reduced, because eForms eliminates the time-consuming, back and forth of traditional paper applications. Silencer Shop makes silencer ownership simplified: your can, in your hands, faster than ever. We will soon be releasing a video of an ATF eForms walkthrough on our YouTube channel, subscribe for notifications.

Silencer Shop makes silencer ownership, simplified. If you’re wondering about how to own a suppressor, it’s easier than ever with our eForm 4 services. All you have to do is:

• Confirm you’re in one of the 42 states where silencers are legal.
• At silencershop.com, choose your suppressor and tax stamp. We carry all of the top brands such as Dead Air Silencers, SilencerCo, OSS, and Rugged Suppressors.
• Select how you’d like to register (as an individual, trust, or corporation).
• Use a Silencer Shop Kiosk for convenient, ink-free fingerprinting and download Silencer Shop’s mobile app to take a properly-formatted photo, anywhere you like on Android or Apple.
• Use Silencer Shop’s easy, automated software to prepare the eForm 4, error-free.

The Silencer Shop Kiosk works perfectly with the new eForm 4. Our kiosks provide FBI-approved scanning technology and produce properly formatted digital files designed for an issue-free upload to eForms. You will NOT need to complete the FD-258 fingerprint card for your tax stamp when using the Silencer Shop Kiosk for your eForm.

Using eForms is easy when done with Silencer Shop. To use eForms, you will need an ATF eForms account. We recommend that you create the account after the new system has launched. When creating your ATF eForms login, be sure to use the same email address as your Silencer Shop account.

The last time ATF eForm 4 applications were available was in 2014. It's impossible that anyone successfully submitted an eForm 4 between then and this launch.

Thank you for partnering with Silencer Shop when determining which suppressor is best for you. Orders placed on our website or silencer dealers on December 4th, 2021 and thereafter will be submitted through ATF eForms. We do not recommend trying to withdraw applications already mailed to ATF prior to that date because ATF stated that withdrawing a pending paper application will cause a year-long delay.

In your Silencer Shop account under “orders” you’ll see an area that says “current stage.” In that section, if you see any of these seven stages, your application is going through eForms! This is a great resource to help you understand how your application is being processed and to get other information about ATF eForms.

Absolutely! All Silencer Shop Gun Trusts can be used with eForms. This includes Single Shot Trusts, Single Shot Unlimited, Single Shot NFA Gun Trusts, and NFA Gun Trusts. Learn more about your Gun Trust choices here!

You can place your Silencer Shop order now! All orders from December 4th, 2021 will be processed through eForms.

Silencer Shop supports your right to bear arms and how you want to file your application. The new electronic Form 4 or the classic paperwork are both in our areas of expertise. Yes, Silencer Shop can still mail NFA paper forms. If you would prefer to go the traditional route with a paper submission, log into your Silencer Shop account and in your dashboard, toggle the setting to ‘paper’.

If you want to know more about ATF processing times, that information is and will continue to be at NFAtracker.com. You can compare, in real-time, the NFA transfer times for both eForms and paper submissions. 

Yes, the new ATF eForms system is different and improved. ATF has updated and upgraded their older eForms—and Silencer Shop has custom-tailored our processes to their new system. By submitting your application with us, we’ll continue to make silencer ownership, simplified.

You will need a local FFL to submit an eForm 4. As the leader in the NFA industry, Silencer Shop is the gold standard with an accuracy rate of 99.5%. For comparison, the industry average is approximately 60%. We are here as a resource for gun owners and will have more information to come about how exactly to file an eForm 4. 

Based on our exposure to the ATF’s eForms system, Silencer Shop believes their new platform’s infrastructure now is far more advanced than last time. We’re optimistic it will easily handle short barrel rifles (SBR), short barrel shotguns (SBS), suppressors, and all other NFA items.

The difference between a paper Form 4 and an eForm 4 is similar to the difference between mailing a letter (paper form 4) or sending an email (eForm 4). When you choose to eForm 4 a suppressor, SBR, or SBS you electronically file your application with the ATF instead of mailing it. Less paperwork, less time. 

Texas-made suppressors are subject to federal law even after the June 15th, 2021 Texas firearm legislation (HB 957 also known as the “Suppressor Freedom Law”), signed by Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX). Per the ATF's "Open Letter to All Texas Federal Firearms Licensees" (July 26, 2021) "All provisions of the Gun Control Act (GCA) and the National Firearms Act (NFA), including their corresponding regulations, continue to apply to FFLs and other persons in Texas." Silencers are still regulated by the NFA and every NFA item requires a tax stamp. As a central Texas gun company, Silencer Shop is proud to be a resource to second amendment enthusiasts nationwide. Thank you to the nearly 24,000 reviews on TrustPilot for trusting us with an average ranking of 4.9 out of 5 stars for Silencer Shop.

eForms can be utilized for a variety of Forms: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, and 10.