Guides
NFA guides
Everything NFA Watch has written to answer the questions filers actually ask: how long the NFA wait is right now, how Form 1 and Form 4 differ, whether a gun trust speeds anything up, what the $0 tax stamp did to suppressor and SBR wait times, and how to read your own place in the queue. Every number in these guides is computed live from community-reported approvals — not official ATF records.
Is a tax stamp still required?
What ATF's October 9, 2026 guidance changed for suppressors, SBRs, SBSs and AOWs, what still applies, why state law comes first, and the risk ATF names itself.
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NFA wait times this month
The current Form 1 and Form 4 wait, updated hourly from community-reported approvals — the live answer to "how long is the wait right now?"
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Wait time estimator
Enter your form type, owner type, and filing date to see what filers with nearby dates have reported — and where your own wait stands.
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Wait times by state
Community-reported approval times broken out by state, with each state's sample size shown honestly.
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How long does a suppressor take?
The suppressor timeline explained: buying from a dealer (Form 4) versus building your own (Form 1), with live medians for each path.
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How long does an SBR take?
Short-barreled rifles are usually a Form 1 build rather than a dealer purchase — what that queue is running now, and why e-filing matters most here.
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Form 1 vs. Form 4
Make it or buy it — what each form actually is, and which one is waiting longer right now, computed live from reported approvals.
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Gun trust vs. individual
Does a trust still approve faster? What the 2016 41F rule changed, and what current data shows about the trust-vs-individual gap.
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The $0 tax stamp
Why removing the $200 NFA tax made Form 1 waits longer, not shorter — the demand surge explained with data.
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Glossary
Plain-English definitions for every term used on NFA Watch — cohort, frontier, median, typical range, and the rest.
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Methodology
Where the numbers come from, how medians and cohorts are computed, and what community-reported data can and can't tell you.
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NFA Watch is an independent community project and is not affiliated with the ATF or U.S. government. All data is self-reported by NFA filers and reflects community observations — not official ATF records. Nothing here is legal advice.