Print on FD-258 Fingerprint Card
Overview
Shooters Express is a Charlotte-based firearms dealer for personal defense, sports, and recreation shooting supplies. Shooters Express has been operating this business since 1991 and has the largest indoor pistol, rifle, and shotgun firing range. They allow you to bring your own firearm or use theirs. Shooters Express offer a wide range of rental firearms starting from .22LR all the way up to fully automatic rifles. It is a fully stocked pro shop with all the latest firearm goodies.
Shooters Express has been a trusted name in Charlotte whenever you need a full-time, on-site gunsmith to assist you with firearm-related problems and instructions. They also provide one on one sessions along with training classes for firearms-related instructions and guidance, no matter whether you are a pro or a new participant in firearm shooting.
As is the case with any firearms dealer, they comply with ATF regulations and process a lot of ATF forms in order to get approvals related to firearms.
The Business Need
Shooters Express has been dealing in the firearms industry for more than 20 years and they have been quite adaptive to the market conditions as well as changes in the ATF-related procedures, which are pushed by regulators from time to time.
In December 2021, ATF went live with the new eForms portal, which was claimed to be more efficient and streamlined, addressing the issues and requirements of eForms users. Along with the new portal, ATF also introduced the new eForm 4 process, which was only available to fill and submit using a paper form before that. With this new process, users would be able to submit their fingerprints electronically via an EFT file. The EFT file contains a person’s demographic information and fingerprints.
When the news of ATF’s new revamped eForms portal and electronic version of Form 4 started to surface, people at Shooters Express were excited that the ATF would be reinstating the e-form format and wanted to stay prepared beforehand. As the eForms require both digital fingerprints and photos, they began searching for a service that could provide both, so that they could further help the customers as well as keep services and information in-house.
Shooters Express processes both ATF Form 1 and ATF Form 4. They wanted an in-house setup to live scan customer fingerprints and print them on FD-258 paper cards. Live scan fingerprints could get them the edge they needed over ink-based fingerprint capture as it is extremely hard to determine the quality of prints captured with ink.
Being able to live scan customer fingerprints and create the EFT files for Form 4 and also print them on the ATF Fingerprint Cards (FD-258) for Form 1 could give Shooters Expresses an additional advantage.
To achieve their business objectives, Shooters Express needed ATF fingerprinting software with the ability to create eft files and to print fingerprints on ATF fingerprint cards (FD-258), in order to send physical FD-258 fingerprint cards to the ATF for Form 1 and Form 4 approvals. It also required an FBI-approved live scan fingerprint reader and a signature pad to capture applicant signatures digitally.
What our clients say
The Solution
Shooters Express has a team of experts who knows firearms inside out. However, when it came to NFA fingerprinting with live scan, they needed someone to guide them in this regard.
After several weeks of searching, looking at different companies, and a few demonstrations, Shooters Express contacted Bayometric and figured out that Bayometric’s system best matched their needs. Bayometric’s team was quick to respond and provide the necessary information.
In Shooter’s Express’ own words:
“The team at Bayometric was extremely helpful in showing us the advantages, demonstrating their system, and answering our many questions, so we took the jump and installed the system.”
Shooters Express needed live scan equipment for ATF fingerprinting, ATF Fingerprinting software that could seamlessly connect to their system as well as a signature pad to capture signatures digitally.
After analyzing their requirements, we finalized that Suprema RealScan G-10 from our portfolio of FBI-certified live scan equipment perfectly matched their requirement. Along with our highly efficient ATF live scan fingerprinting software which comes with the ability to print fingerprints on blank fingerprint cards (FD-258), we also supplied Topaz Signature Pad to capture signatures digitally.
We helped Shooters Express throughout the process until their system was successfully installed and more importantly the personnel who will be operating and supervising the system were satisfied. Once installed, the live scan system was up and running in no time and was ready to use from day one.
We provided all the necessary information, training to operate the system, and care required while handling the equipment. We finally signed off when we had people at Shooters Express all satisfied with the installation, and training and all their questions answered.
Business Benefits Achieved
Shooters Express was able to completely replace its existing system with the Bayometric supplied ATF live scan fingerprinting system and was able to achieve its objectives. Following are the business benefits achieved by deploying the ATF live scan fingerprinting system and the function of printing FD-258 fingerprint cards.
Fingerprint quality issues eliminated
Bayometric’s ATF Software has a built-in fingerprint quality check, which ensures that the prints submitted for both Form 4 (via eft file) and Form 1 (printing on ATF Cards) are of excellent quality.
Fingerprints captured with a live scan fingerprinting system have impeccable quality as they go through stringent quality check that comes inbuilt with the live scan systems. If a live scan is not of adequate quality, the user will be prompted to rescan.
Lower rate of rejections by the ATF
Submitting ATF Form 1 or Form 4 with an ink-captured FD-258 fingerprint card always carries a higher risk of rejection if the ink-captured fingerprint quality is not adequate. There is no way to be sure of ink captured prints’ quality on fingerprint paper cards. They may be seemingly good but can still be rejected if minute details are missed/overlapped.
On the other hand, live scan fingerprints are passed through inbuilt quality checks embedded into the live scan systems so they have a minimal chance of rejection by the ATF.
Option to submit FD-258 electronically
With ATF live scan fingerprinting software, you always have an option to submit fingerprints electronically to the ATF. Electronic submission is the fastest possible way to submit fingerprints along with ATF eForm 4and it makes complete sense to submit prints electronically if you are eFiling as it results in shorter wait times for approvals.
After waiting for several months, we approached Shooters Express and their feedback was more than rewarding.