The short version of this story is: after getting ATF approval for my first suppressor (over 370 days!) the dealer (Range USA in Carmel) refused to hand it over because of my immigration status (which they knew all along). I eventually got the can after Silencer Shop intervened but it was not clear that I was ever going to get it until I walked out the door with it today.
OK here's the long verison:
I am a green card holder. I bought the can through SilencerShop last November. Naturally I entered all my info on my SilencerShop profile, and it was all included in the eform that Range USA submitted. About 5 months later I found out when trying to buy a gun there that they changed their company policy - they would no longer sell guns to green card holders. I emailed their customer service in disbelief and they confirmed this, saying that the ATF threatened to revoke their FFL. When I asked about my pending suppressor, nothing. Radio silence. So I started emailing SilencerShop. I'm not sure what was going on with them but it took 4 months to get a reply.
All this time my eform4 was left pending, but I had no idea if I was waiting for nothing. Should I cancel after 9 months and start again somewhere else? I know that literally any other FFL will deal with me, no problem. But maybe I'm close to approval, so I might as well wait? SilencerShop told me to go and talk to the manager. The manager gave me the runaround. He fed me a string of lies about how they have no involvement in the form 4 process etc, and flat out refused to tell me if they would give me the can when I get approved. So I left knowing nothing new, except that the manager has a personality disorder.
So this month I finally got the approval email from the ATF and the next day I got a call from Range USA saying I could come in and pick up the can. I had a feeling that it was a generic statement, and they didn't really mean it in my case, but I took them at their word and went in and filled out the 4473 in person. Sure enough, the guy said "this is going to take a bit longer, we need to get the boss to approve it". After having me wait for an hour, they sent me away and said they'd call me. For the next week I kept getting the runaround from them. At first it was just a brief delay, then they admitted they had no idea what the hold up was. I emailed customer service again, and was again ignored. At this point I became convinced that they had no intention of handing it over.
I contacted SS again and the the guy there ultimately escalated it to the SS VP. By today I still hadn't heard anything and I had given up. I was pretty sure I was just waiting for a form 4 cancellation email and a tax stamp refund. I was going to call the ATF and see if I could kick up a stink that way...but the SS guys must have lit a fire under them because they called me today to pick it up. They still made me wait for them to do 30 mins of paperwork when I came in but I did leave with the can, finally.
Now it's been made clear to me in the past that some people on INGO think this policy is a wonderful idea. Fine if that's your opinion. But I urge you to consider that Range USA didn't do this for idealogical reasons. They did it because they thought it would be convenient for them, and if they will do this to me, do you want to trust them with your year+ long wait? They could whimsically decide not to do any more NFA transfers for anyone, and from my experience, they won't bother to notify you.
Most dealers understand that the NFA process is long and people are already being messed with enough by the ATF. You do not mess with people's NFA applications. Nobody wants to waste months or a year and have to start again. Back when they adopted this smooth brained policy they could have either cancelled my form, or assured me that my transfer would be honored. Fair enough I ultimately got my property from them but I'm pretty sure that's only because SilencerShop pressured them into it. Be warned!
OK here's the long verison:
I am a green card holder. I bought the can through SilencerShop last November. Naturally I entered all my info on my SilencerShop profile, and it was all included in the eform that Range USA submitted. About 5 months later I found out when trying to buy a gun there that they changed their company policy - they would no longer sell guns to green card holders. I emailed their customer service in disbelief and they confirmed this, saying that the ATF threatened to revoke their FFL. When I asked about my pending suppressor, nothing. Radio silence. So I started emailing SilencerShop. I'm not sure what was going on with them but it took 4 months to get a reply.
All this time my eform4 was left pending, but I had no idea if I was waiting for nothing. Should I cancel after 9 months and start again somewhere else? I know that literally any other FFL will deal with me, no problem. But maybe I'm close to approval, so I might as well wait? SilencerShop told me to go and talk to the manager. The manager gave me the runaround. He fed me a string of lies about how they have no involvement in the form 4 process etc, and flat out refused to tell me if they would give me the can when I get approved. So I left knowing nothing new, except that the manager has a personality disorder.
So this month I finally got the approval email from the ATF and the next day I got a call from Range USA saying I could come in and pick up the can. I had a feeling that it was a generic statement, and they didn't really mean it in my case, but I took them at their word and went in and filled out the 4473 in person. Sure enough, the guy said "this is going to take a bit longer, we need to get the boss to approve it". After having me wait for an hour, they sent me away and said they'd call me. For the next week I kept getting the runaround from them. At first it was just a brief delay, then they admitted they had no idea what the hold up was. I emailed customer service again, and was again ignored. At this point I became convinced that they had no intention of handing it over.
I contacted SS again and the the guy there ultimately escalated it to the SS VP. By today I still hadn't heard anything and I had given up. I was pretty sure I was just waiting for a form 4 cancellation email and a tax stamp refund. I was going to call the ATF and see if I could kick up a stink that way...but the SS guys must have lit a fire under them because they called me today to pick it up. They still made me wait for them to do 30 mins of paperwork when I came in but I did leave with the can, finally.
Now it's been made clear to me in the past that some people on INGO think this policy is a wonderful idea. Fine if that's your opinion. But I urge you to consider that Range USA didn't do this for idealogical reasons. They did it because they thought it would be convenient for them, and if they will do this to me, do you want to trust them with your year+ long wait? They could whimsically decide not to do any more NFA transfers for anyone, and from my experience, they won't bother to notify you.
Most dealers understand that the NFA process is long and people are already being messed with enough by the ATF. You do not mess with people's NFA applications. Nobody wants to waste months or a year and have to start again. Back when they adopted this smooth brained policy they could have either cancelled my form, or assured me that my transfer would be honored. Fair enough I ultimately got my property from them but I'm pretty sure that's only because SilencerShop pressured them into it. Be warned!