EFT File for ATF

Xcaliber Gunsmithing Inc. is a local, family-owned, and operated company in Cottonwood, MN for firearms, firearm accessories, hunting knives, and suppressors, and they are also an authorized dealer for liberty safes. They offer firearm servicing, repairs, custom-built firearms, and firearm sales. With over 12 years in business, they have the expertise and knowledge to provide absolute customer satisfaction.

Xcaliber Gunsmithing believes in providing exceptional customer service. They strive to ensure that customers are provided with the right firearm for their needs. Whether you’re looking for a rifle for hunting, a handgun for personal protection, or want a custom firearm, they have the selection you may be looking for. In addition, they have a full line of firearm accessories and knives. Their repair service will keep your firearms in top working condition.

Xcaliber Gunsmithing Inc. offers different firearm-related services including sales of NFA items, repairs, customization, etc. Being a firearm dealer with a diversified portfolio of firearms and firearm-related services, they also have to comply with current regulations in place. Since Xcaliber also sells NFA items such as suppressors, they file ATF form 4 for NFA tax stamp approvals quite frequently.

ATF Form 4 is an Application for Tax Paid Transfer and Registration of a Firearm. This is the ATF form filed by a qualified federal firearms licensee to transfer an NFA firearm to an individual or other legal entity (such as a corporation, gun trust, etc.). These individuals or legal entities, however, cannot be an FFL. Since Xcaliber sells NFA items directly to non-licensee customers, ATF Form 4 is applicable in their case.

In December 2021, ATF announced a long-awaited update that firearm dealers, as well as customers, had been waiting for– They made the electronic version of Form 4 (eForm 4) available to everyone. They also overhauled the entire eForm online application to make it more efficient, streamlined, and modern. It was one of the most anticipated changes that people, especially firearm dealers had been waiting for.

Xcaliber was observant of the changes coming to the ATF eForms and was especially watchful for the reincarnation of eForm 4. Though ATF had tried to make eForm 4 work previously, it was unsuccessful and met with several technical issues. Back then, electronic submission of fingerprints was also not available. However, this time ATF enabled electronic submission of fingerprints along with eFiling of eForm 4. It meant that firearm dealers could capture customer fingerprints electronically with live scan devices and create EFT files to submit Form 4 through ATF’s eForm Portal. EFT file is a secure digital copy of your fingerprints that can be submitted to the ATF via its eForms portal and there is no need to send fingerprints via FD-258 cards.

With the changes coming to the ATF eForm 4, Xcaliber Gunsmithing’s primary business need was to improve the speed of ATF Form 4 filing. It was only possible by digitizing the fingerprint capture and submission process in order to improve the approval times.

Xcaliber wanted to take advantage of the recent developments in ATF Form 4 that allowed FFLs to eFile Form 4. Xcaliber wanted to improve its ATF form 4 submission process for silencer sales. Filing the ATF silencer form electronically and sending the FD-258 card for fingerprint submission via snail mail could again slow down the process, so Xcaliber also chose to send fingerprints electronically.

In order to process their suppressor sales faster, Xcaliber Gunsmithing needed live scan fingerprint equipment and software to capture fingerprints and create EFT files. Submitting eForm 4 along with the ETF fingerprint file is the fastest way to get your suppressor NFA tax stamp approved as your fingerprint ETF file is directly submitted to the ATF.

After considering the specific requirements about the live scan equipment Xcaliber wanted, we suggested Integrated Biometrics Kojak as the live scan equipment along with Bayometric’s ATF fingerprinting software. After understanding the features and specifications of the live scan device and the software, Xcaliber finalized the deal and we supplied the equipment and software within the promised timeframe.

Replacing manual form filling and fingerprint capture with form 4 online eFiling and sending the ETF fingerprints instead of FD-258 cards resulted in several business benefits:

Digital fingerprinting – farewell to ink and roll (and fingerprint cards)

Before the inception of its electronic version, the only way to submit ATF Form 4 was to fill the paper form manually and capture the fingerprint on FD-258 cards. As expected it was slow, not only the time taken in NFA tax stamp approval, but also the form filling and sending fingerprints via snail mail.

On top of that, fingerprinting with FD-258 was also a challenge. There was no way to ensure that fingerprint quality was adequate unless your fingerprints are either processed or rejected by the ATF.

On the other hand, live scan fingerprinting systems come with a built-in mechanism that ensures fingerprint image quality adheres to the specifications prescribed by the regulatory agency. It means that only good-quality fingerprints are captured and submitted.

Fewer errors and rejections

Sending fingerprints via ETF file created with a live scan system means they have gone through stringent quality checks, which are encoded within the algorithm of the system. These quality checks stem from the stringent fingerprint image quality requirements prescribed by the FBI. Having fingerprints pre-checked means that there will be fewer rejections when they are processed by the ATF.

Faster NFA tax stamp approvals

Time is taken by ATF paperwork actually adds to the time taken in the approval of your NFA tax stamp. If you process formalities faster by eFiling form 4 online and sending fingerprints digitally via ETF file, your NFA tax stamp approval will also be processed faster. This is what happened in the case of Xcaliber Gunsmithing, their ATF silencer form processing time was reduced significantly due to electronic filing of Form 4 as well as digital fingerprinting.