A little background. I am an FFL and I run NICS checks daily. The ATF uses the FBI to runs the NICS for all of your Form 1 and Form 4s. If you call and check the status of your Form 1/4, and you are told they are waiting on the FBI to do the background check, you can call the FBI NICS and ask them and inquire on the delayed status of your paper form. They will do it right then and there. You don’t have to be an FFL to call the NICS General customer service department.

I know this to be true because I have 2 suppressors to pickup after work today.

The reason the FBI is taking so long to do a check that takes maybe 3 minutes is to do is because they not doing their job using this process as administrative gun control. If you everyone does this, I bet the processing time will go down by 70%. The eform turn around times are proof of this.

To specify, this process is for people who have been waiting several months to years on proper forms.

At some point, they just need to let the ATF/NFA staff run their own background checks. I wouldn't think it's necessary for the FBI to do that for them... They're all Federal Agents.

They are not all agents, just employees. Support staff. No gun, no badge etc…

Are the FBI people who run the BGCs “Agents”. Do they carry a badge and gun? May sound a little sarcastic, but I don’t know. How do we know they are not just FBI employees just as the ATF/NFA examiners are just employees?

What's the number and what exactly do I tell them?

I'm not a FFL, so this would be new to me.

I’ve never heard of anyone other than FFL’s and LEO’s being able to use NICS. It’s been a long time since I’ve called one in,  but I believe they ask for your FFL info at the start of each phone call.

Uh.........what?
You sure as shit do have to hold an FFL and you also have to enroll in FBI NICS as it isn't automatic. NICS also requires a codeword.

Nonlicensees calling NICS won't get past the first step.


Not to mention, ATF contacts the FBI for NFA background checks. What result John Q. Public gets from NICS means jack shit to ATF.

When a NICS check is run by phone, a Customer Service Rep takes the call and enters the buyer/transferees name and descriptive information. If the check doesn't return any prohibiting records then the status is a "proceed".

Alternatively, the eCheck online system can be used where that name and descriptive information is entered giving an instant status.

If delayed, then an FBI Legal Documents Examiner reviews those records. That may take days or weeks.

Those examiners are FBI employees. It is my understanding the CSR's are not FBI employees, but contracted call centers.

That’s pretty much what I figured. I don’t see why an ATF/NFA examiner couldn’t have access to the NICS database and do these checks on their own. It would make the whole process that much more efficient. If a contracted NGO CSR rep can access the NICS database, why wouldn’t a Federal Law Enforcement employee have access?

There is a difference between an Agent and a Special Agent.  The Special Agents have badges, guns and the power of arrest.

You are thinking of calling in running a NiCS check for a customer. There is a way to call the general NICS customer service number. They are a public entity with a general customer service department. When I get to the all office I will go through the phone tree. Don’t confuse calling NICS general customer service with calling in a NICS check for customer buying a gun. Two different things

@DogtownTom

FBI NICS Phone number 1-877-324-6427

Option 3 (Question on delays)

Option 5 (If YOUR NICS background check was delayed)

Option 2 (For more information on YOUR delayed background check)

It will ring and someone will pickup. Tell them you submitted a Form 4 with the ATF and it was delayed. Ask them if they know the status or why it has been delayed for so long. If they ask you for your social, you are in, you got it. According to the brady transfer date, they are not supposed to leave it delayed status for a prolonged perioud of time. Be cordial, ask about the weather, how their day is going etc.. Treat them good and they will take care of you. I work for the .gov. You have to know how to play the system and use the system. They are normal people. They could easily say, just wait, but if you know how to grease the wheels, it will work.

All these options are the general public and not for FFLs running NICS checks

How is this not getting past the first step? These options are for individuals to checks the status of their own denials, appeals and delays.

I just had my co-worker do it who is not an FFL just to see. It worked for him. Their was a moment of silence while the guy was typing and he said check back with with ATF in a few days.

So, your statement of, "Not to mention, ATF contacts the FBI for NFA background checks. What result John Q. Public gets from NICS means jack shit to ATF." was just assumption on your part. You have to understand the "delayed" status on the NTN query on the ATF side of the house is only there because the FBI NICS has done nothing on their part. They did not submit the NICS check. You and I think of delays as in we submit an NTN query and get the result back as delayed. This is different. If you don't believe me, go ahead and give it try.

https://nicsezcheckfbi.gov/help/ENG/contact.html

833-297-4357 option 3.  The agent / rep was able to look me up and advise me on the status of my NICS check.  Made clear to her I was an individual not an FFL and it didnt seem to be a problem.  5 min phone call.  She was professional and cordial.

It should all be automatic with information parsed from the eform. Why does a human have to do it?

Not all forms are eforms. My SOT wasn't in the eform system, so I had to do a paper form. This is more for people who have been waiting an extended period of time (several months or more).

The ATF examiner does do the NICS themselves. The use eCheck to access the NICS just like your local FFL.
That "NGO CSR" is merely doing the data entry for FFL's who call in their NICS checks.

When I called, he entered my information while I was on the phone and I got a proceed instantly. The ATF process is different than how you and I do. They submit the information to NICS but do not get an instant result like you and I do, for paper form anyway. The eform process might be different. Hence, when you call, they say they are waiting on the FBI to the background check. Mine was in that status for over 6 months. If they were running an echeck like you and I do, the Brady Transfer date would apply and it wouldn’t be in delayed status for 6 months. The ATF just sends a query to the FBI and it sits in limbo until information is manually entered. The FBI and FBI alone inputs the information into their NICS system and gets a denied or proceed. The ATF gets notification of the result. Then, the examiner does final review and sign off on it. I just talked to Mr. Hughes the former section chief of the NFA division about this yesterday

The guy I talked to on the phone was an FBI employee and not a NGO.

In your first post you wrote " ....you can call the FBI NICS and ask them to do the NICS check...."  What you describe now isn't initiating an FBI NICS check, but following up on a delayed NICS check. Two very different things.


Not really. an assumption at all. Fact. ATF will not approve a Form until they receive a proceed from FBI NICS. That a Congress or Ordinary Joe called the FBI to complain doesn't change that.


Not at all true. I don't know how long you've been an FFL/SOT, but its pretty common knowledge what causes a background check to go into delayed status. Further, it aint exactly a secret that until this March, the FBI assigned NFA background checks to a lower priority than Title I transactions. If the initial check didn't result in animmidiate proceed, then the FBI would set it aside for additional research. There are FOIA emails that detail the comedic back and forth between FBI and ATF bigwigs where they argue over whose responsibility it is for NFA background checks. BTW, no federal law requires the FBI to conduct NFA background checks, unlike Title I background checks. The FBI told ATF "we do so as a courtesy". Until this March thats the reason NFA checks that went to delay status often disappeared into the black hole. The FBI would wait until someone contacted their Congressman.


Not true. ATF for damn sure submits every Form 1 or 4 for a NICS check.



You and I sure as heck don't think alike.

The Brady Law has nothing to do with NFA background checks.
ATF does do "manual entry" for the background check on paper forms, eForms its automated.
Whether a paper form or eForms gets an instant proceed has nothing to do with whether its paper or eForm because that has nothing to do with nothing. Instant "proceeds" are due to the NICS check not returning multiple records on the name and descriptive information submitted in the check.

So myself and my co-worker who called the NICS and got proceeds right then and there was coincidence? They guy who posted above was coincidence as well? Why does option 3 exist when you call NICS? The former section chief I talked to was wrong?

I am talking about paper forms only. There are guys waiting 1-3 years on paper forms I found a way to fix that. You can tell me I am wrong but it has worked 3 times

The delayed status on a paper form isn’t because NICS ran it and got a result of proceed, it is because they haven’t ran it at all. (Paper form)

What you describe is NOT  " ....you can call the FBI NICS and ask them to do the NICS check....", thats already been done by ATF. You didn't submit a NICS check. It was already submitted by ATF.

You and your coworker did what people have been doing for several years, usually through their Congressman........calling the FBI NICS to get their backround check out of limbo. By calling NICS Customer Service, you are trying to get your EXISTING background check out of delayed status. Its delayed because the FBI assigned it as lower priority.

Yes. People don’t know they can call NICS directly and get a their background check done and their form will finally get processed. I explained in several posts that it was about their existing NICS check that wasn’t getting touched. The phone Tree I posted clearly stated this. I guess this is what I get for trying to help people get past a major administrative hurdle that is the reason their forms are taking a year plus.

Disregard everything I said everyone. Delete my thread and just continue to wait for years

No need for the drama man.
What you describe has been discussed for years  and isn't exactly a secret: This thread that started in 2018 for example.

No luck. I called both numbers and spoke to 2 very nice ladies who shut me down quick.  They would/could not give me any info about my delayed form 4 (submitted a year ago this week).  All they could tell me was that it was received and there are between 20k to 55k forms ahead of me.

I called the ATF number yesterday. The lady I spoke with checked on a Form 4 on a trust submitted last October. She said that everything was correct on the form and that she could not really help with anything else and I would just have to be patient. I have some other Form 1 and Form 4's pending but did not ask her about those, was going to call back today and check another one. But when I checked my email this morning there was a approval on a Form 4 from March. Ended up getting 2 other approvals before noon. This is probably not a coincidence. So it is definitely worth a try to call. I have one more from November pending, will call them back in a couple of days if it doesn't show up.

I called this morning about my last pending Form 4 from Nov. Was once again told that it is in pending status and that there is nothing to do but wait. Then a half hour later the approval email arrived. Call them up if you have been waiting awhile!        

National Firearms Act (NFA) Division
Voice: (304) 616-4500

Waiting since Jan. Not long I know but called anyway.

No luck lol

When did you call? Might take a few days, don't give up hope!

Last Friday

ETA been a week now. Nothing.

I give up hope the moment I send it off. I fully expect a year turnaround which is normal.

I think there really is something to this.  I called FBI today on a whim after calling 10 days ago and being told yes they received it but thats all they could tell me.  Today they said I was approved 3 days ago.  I dont think its a coincidence either.  I have been in delay status since April with FBI and within a week of calling im approved. On a side note i called ATF to see if they had any new info and they did not. I have no idea how long it takes FBI to relay an approved status back to ATF but hopefully soon.  Now I just have to wait on that and then the post office to deliver the form 4 to my dealer.  54 weeks and counting and!  But thank you OP for creating this thread and helping folks try to get some help on delays.