For the last couple of years the NFATCA has had the fortune of working extremely close with the NFA Branch. Ken Houchens was graceful enough to begin the process of sharing information with us on how things actually worked within the Bureau. Thanks to Ken and the tireless efforts of Gary Schaible, we know a lot of information today that seemed a mystery five years ago. A number that I carry about and speak of is the actual number of transferable machine guns available to the NFA community. Keep in mind this was a snapshot taken at the end of last year based on the information that Ken and Gary were able to glean from the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record (NFRTR). Yes, we all know that the registry has some problems, but Gary and Ken did a lot of work to come up with this number on that particular day last year. There were, at the time, 182,619 transferable machine guns in the NFRTR. And guess what? That number isn’t growing. I am still amazed when someone asks me, “Why are prices still going up?” It is a simple law of supply and demand. With that number declining every year the value of a transferable machine gun will continue to increase in value.

In addition to this research, the Bureau has provided us with a lot of good information on just how much activity takes place in the NFA community. In 2006, ATF processed a total of 370,905 Forms including everything from a 5320.20 to a Form 10. If you look at the processed total for 2007, that number is 650,024. If you think the economy is slowing this process down, think again. The NFA Branch has been busier in the last year than they have in the history of the Branch. Keep in mind that this number represents all Forms processing that must take place to keep track of any NFA weapon.

The NFA Branch has undergone a complete upheaval in everything from employees, to training, to management to the total process in its operations. Nothing short of a miracle could have prompted Ken Houchens to stand in front of the entire import community and show the rank and file that the average transfer time for a Form 3 was 5 days and the average time for a Form 4 was 22 days. Compared to results from 5 years ago this progress is simply staggering. However, please note that these times represent the time of actual processing at the Branch. It does not include time in the mail, check clearing, routing between agencies, FBI fingerprint processing, security/background checks, etc. These other activities outside the branch must be considered when looking at the total time frame of a transfer. Thus, a Form 4 transfer will take an average of 5-6 weeks to work its way through the system though the Branch time takes 3 weeks. This is still an extraordinary improvement from the 4-7 months it used to take.

In addition to the above numbers, in 2007, the NFA Branch processed a total of 21,949 Form 4s, or an average of 133 Form 4s per day. The Branch also processed some 50,082 Form 3s for an average of 304 Form 3s per day. Combine all the rest of the forms that the Branch processed in 2007 and you will find that the Branch processed an average of 3,940 forms per day, assuming a work available load of 165 days per year. Keep in mind that many of the examiners have worked weekends and a ton of extra hours to try and get the trade in a position where it didn’t take 10 months to get a transfer completed. I know we all recognize that the entire Branch has done a great job.

With the change in the Branch Chief, the NFATCA will be working extremely close with all personnel to make certain that we continue to hold up our end on submitting clean forms. In the past we have written several articles on the kinds of mistakes we have made that slowed down the processing time. For 2007, the winner of the bad habits for submission awards were poorly hand written forms and bad checks. Let’s all try and do our part and keep the input side of forms processing clean in ’08 and keep this magnificent process running like the clockwork it has been during the last year.

There is a lot of information on the numbers that we simply don’t have the time and space to share in this article but as future articles come around we’ll share as much of that current information as possible.

The NFATCA is making constant and consistent giant steps forward for the betterment of the NFA community. But our strength lies in our numbers and we need your support. Log on to www.NFATCA.org and see for yourself and join us in our efforts.

Over a year ago, several of us were sitting around at the Knob Creek event and we started talking about all of the individual dealers that have been around a long time and all of the “Newbies” that are now starting into the business and how hard it was to break into the NFA world. There was so much opportunity and so little information available from the people who were truly experienced. We began discussions on how we were so disjointed and that there was no real synergy within the NFA community where we all could benefit from an association of experienced people who collectively worked for the good of the entire NFA community. We needed someone, or something, to represent and spearhead efforts for all the dealers, manufacturers and collectors from all across the country.

From this initial conversation, the National Firearms Act, Trade and Collectors Association (NFATCA) was born. We started formalizing discussions in January of 2005 and it took us a couple of months to find the best lobbyist and counsel available to launch our efforts. This year at the spring Knob Creek we celebrated our one-year anniversary of the actual formation of the organization where we began to actively recruit its membership. We are proud to say that the entire Board of Directors are lifetime members and take the mission that we set forth very seriously. We stand at over fifty members in our first year with a host of major accomplishments under our belt.

The NFATCA has been instrumental in developing a relationship with ATF that has not existed in the last 20 years. We continue to work a multi-tiered approach to solving problems and developing strategies jointly with ATF on a list of topics that seems to be never ending. We are working issues from every perspective from the new 4473s to offering a helping hand in the electronic forms process. We approach not only ATF, but major Congressional representatives seeking support on issues ranging from the barrel and receiver rulings to compliance issues and a working relationship with field offices within ATF.

If you have been following our monthly reports in Small Arms Review, you know the Board of Directors meet weekly on a conference bridge with our counsel and any other representatives on strategic issues facing our community. Our efforts are time consuming and detailed, yet the board voluntarily marches forward recognizing the importance of our mission and the ultimate achievements we all will benefit from. I take this opportunity to thank each and every one of them for their tireless efforts during the past year.

Many members have and continue to get involved in some very heavy-duty issues we work on every week. As these monthly reports continue, so will the revelation of the accomplishments of the NFATCA be presented. Log on to our web site and join the NFATCA team. It’s the only place you will find the information or answers you need. Join today and find out what “Power Through Experience” really means.

Text & Photos by Jeff W. Zimba

The sixth annual SAR Show West 2005 has just concluded and was bigger and better than ever. It is held in conjunction with Crossroads of the West Gun Show at the Arizona State Fairgrounds in Phoenix, Arizona and is rightly billed as the largest gun show west of the Rocky Mountains.

With a record-breaking gate attendance, an unprecedented number of dealers and temperatures in the mid 70’s, SAR Show 2005 went off without a hitch. SAR had its own Class III building with over 425 vendors and was sold out for months. Venders with related merchandise were set up immediately outside the building. Also outside our building were more heavy, mounted guns than at any show previously. Sprinkled within the masse of military vehicles for sale and on display were several artillery pieces. The largest being a Model 1918, 155mm Howitzer and a 1943 U.S. Navy MK2 Model 4, 3-Inch Gun. Other interesting military vehicles this year included a Pinzgauer and a tracked Bren Carrier.

All the key players in the Class III world were there and exhibiting their wares with an excellent selection this year of Form 4 transferable guns, pre and post samples, new and innovative products and services. Whatever your interest in the Class III world, this is the place to be.

The National Firearms Act Trade & Collectors Association (NFATCA) had a booth to introduce themselves to people in the industry and talk about strategy, current projects and future goals. They sponsored a breakfast for the vendors and setup a meeting before the opening of the show on Saturday with many high profile members of ATFE. You can read a detailed report in their column this month in SAR or read about it at their website www.nfatca.org.

There were two minigun manufacturers set up this year with examples of their inventory on hand for visitors to see. James DeGroat of Armament Sales and Tracy Garwood of Garwood Industries were in attendance fielding questions and talking with show visitors. Both displays were easy to spot because they had a continuous crowd of people in front of them at all times. www.armamentsales.com and www.garwoodindustries.com.

Tactical innovations had a few examples of their new dedicated .22LR upper receiver for AR-15 and M16 type rifles. Their upper is unique in the aspect that it uses “very” high capacity American-180 drums and ejects down, out of the factory magazine-well. They will be available very soon in semiautomatic and full automatic versions. www.tacticalinc.com

Lakeside Guns had several variations of their LM-7 .22LR belt-fed AR-15/M16 upper receiver on display. They have been waiting for a letter ruling from ATFE so they could start processing orders and we are pleased to report that the upper receivers have officially been ruled “non firearms” by ATFE Technology Branch and shipments have already started. This is great news for our industry. www.lakesideguns.com.

There were a few informal shooting events that took place in Arizona during the SAR Show timeframe. This included a Minigun demonstration about an hour southeast of the Arizona State Fairgrounds. James DeGroat hosted this function with the assistance of some of the local area shooters. It was an opportunity to get some trigger time on a gun that few people have had the opportunity to fire. It was a great time and it was scheduled early enough in the day to allow people to get back to the show not long after opening.

While on the topic of shooting, one question we are often asked is why there is not a formal shooting event scheduled with or around the show. The truth is we have our hands full hosting the show, but we would love to see some local range, club or group organize such an event, but obviously not during the show days because of the distance attendees would have to travel to get to a range, and how that would detract from the show instead of complementing it. We would be supportive of something during the week before or after. Because of the show there is a huge influx of Class III enthusiasts in this area for about a week, and this may be the perfect opportunity for such an event. If you have an organization that would like to do something of this nature drop us a line and we will be happy to pass the information along to our readers.

Though SAR Show West 2005 has just ended, there is exciting news for SAR Show West 2006. In an effort to answer the strong demand for continued growth, the SAR Show layout will be modified to accommodate an additional 125 tables. If you were previously on the waiting list for vendor tables, you may already be in for next year. If you are not signed up yet you should do so as soon as possible to reserve your space and lock in your position. Please keep checking our website www.smallarmsreview.com for new show information as it becomes available.