NFA Delays

UPDATE 10/20/2025

Starting Monday 10/20/2025, the ATF will recall its National Firearms Act (NFA) examiners back to work. Current ATF estimates indicate that the backlog will be cleared within 7-10 days.

10/1/2025

Beginning October 1, 2025 the U.S. Federal Government entered a partial shutdown due to a lack of congressional funding for the next fiscal year or a continuing resolution for the remainder of 2025.

As a result of the shutdown, a number of federal employees across multiple agencies have been furloughed until further notice, including the ATF's NFA Division examiners which are only processing ATF Form 5 transfers for government entities. Here is what CMMG knows beyond that:

• The eForms system remains online and is accepting applications, including payment of transfer taxes via Pay.gov, and certifications by applicants.
• Submitted applications are not being transmitted to FBI NICS for background checks.
• Pending applications are not being processed at this time.
• Two new forms were added to the eForms platform just prior to the shutdown
  • ATF Form 20 (5320.20) for interstate transfer and temporary export of certain NFA firearms (not required for suppressors)
  • ATF Form 7 (5630.7) SOT applications and annual renewals can now be completed through the eForms systems.

The exact duration of the NFA Division furlough is not known at this time. We will provide any updates as they become available and publish here.