NFATCA REPORT: THE NFATCA JOINS ATF IN AN INDUSTRY FORUM

By John Brown

Most of you know of the untiring efforts that the NFATCA has been putting forth for nearly five years to bring success to many of our efforts in working with the BATFE. Among the many efforts that we have worked closely with the Bureau include:

• Working with the NFA Branch on assisting with the process of streamlining the forms transfer process and increasing the speed of the overall time to get a transfer approved.
• The NFA Handbook and its first update
• Assisting ATF with reviews to the 4473 revision process.
• Getting approval for the process of acquiring multiple sales samples.
• Designing, laying out, and developing the Firearms Technology Branch Procedures Manual.
• Negotiating a successful resolution to the FNC sear issues.
• Working with the ATF compliance process and designing a dealer training program.
• Developing a series of programs including the Manufacturers Forum to bring the industry and ATF closer on multiple manufacturing issues.

This list goes on and on and will continue to grow as we work closer almost every day in dealing with the multitude of issues that affect the NFA public and the industry as a whole. Most recently there have been so many issues that the NFATCA has been dealing with that both ATF and the NFATCA have elected to ramp up our efforts as a team and deal with the industry issues face to face.

The NFATCA has suggested and the Bureau has agreed to jointly tackle these issues through the efforts of a joint task force aimed at discussing the issues at length and trying to determine the best solutions to solve a myriad of problems that affect all of us in the NFA world.

This effort is an unprecedented initiative to jointly discuss the issues at hand and attempt to reach a solution that makes sense to both ATF and the industry. Once we reach a resolution on a particular issue then the findings will be released by the NFATCA on our web site and through a Small Arms Review article. ATF, if appropriate, may issue a ruling or an industry circular to address the agreed upon solution to a particular issue.

The forum for such a collaborative effort will be tackled in a two part process that enables the NFATCA to investigate the issue fully and apprise ATF on the details of the matter before we invite ATF to a conference bridge to discuss the matter. As a first portion of this process the NFATCA will listen, as we always have, to our membership and the general industry about the particular issues that may be affecting the trade.

As a first step, the NFATCA will invite specific industry members to an open discussion on a matter to dig deeply into all facets of the issue and to determine whether it merits discussion with ATF. The industry discussions will invite any and all members of the industry that can contribute good information to our discussions. Being a member of the NFATCA is not a requirement to participate in these discussions.

In many cases a few simple contacts within ATF can resolve these matters with a mere phone call. However, if after a detailed discussion with appropriate industry representatives and the NFATCA, we determine that the matter is truly of industry concern, the NFATCA will invite appropriate ATF representatives to meet on a conference bridge, or at one of the many face to face meetings we have to discuss the matter in further detail and attempt to reach a conclusion on how to appropriately handle any number of potential issues.

These discussions and the results will be handled however ATF and the NFATCA elect to agree on the release or dissemination of conclusions we reach as a collaborative effort. The goal of this initiative will be to bring the industry and ATF closer in examining the details of anything we both feel merits discussion, clarification, or rulings concerning our discussions.

I should also mention that the FAIR group has been working with ATF on a venue very close to the NFATCA effort and it is our hope that these two efforts can be combined to establish a truly collaborative effort with ATF from all sides of the NFA industry. As this process moves forward everyone can be assured that the news of this activity will be addressed in any number of ways.

One of the easiest ways to stay abreast of the continuous and tireless efforts of the NFATCA is to watch the website for updates and news of our energy and accomplishments.

Still wondering why you should join the NFATCA? Come and join the spirit of a relationship that is working for all of our benefits and is the only nationwide organization that is working tirelessly at protecting your NFA ownership. Visit us at www.NFATCA.org.