Email received, E-Form1 is back :D

[lc_nab]

We are pleased to announce the following updates to the eForms system:

1. Performance enhancements – We were able to address some of the technical issues. You will see improvements in the overall performance of the system.
2. We are able to add the ATF Form 1 back to the eForms system. Our plans are to closely monitor the performance of the system in order to determine if we will be able to add additional forms back to the system.
Below is an update on the status on our processing of paper and electronic NFA applications. In the future, this information will be available through links on the eForms login screen:

In follow-up to ATF’s letter dated April 16, 2014, regarding the status of the eForms system; this update is being provided to inform the industry of ATF’s progress in addressing eForms and paper NFA applications. To accommodate the substantial increase in application volume that has recently occurred, ATF is working diligently to decrease processing times while continuing to enhance the eForms platform.

What is our progress to date?

From a peak of over 81,000 pending NFA applications at the end of February 2014, as of June 18, 2014, ATF has reduced the number to less than 63,000 applications pending (23% reduction in pending applications). In the last four weeks, although the NFA Branch received over 17,800 applications we processed more than 22,400 applications.



https://bay173.afx.ms/att/GetInline.aspx?messageid=aa1b5d53-fbc7-11e3-9562-d89d675c795a&attindex=0&cp=-1&attdepth=0&imgsrc=cid%3aimage001.png%4001CF8C60.AE0D25C0&cid=ebe7416fed27c567&shared=1&hm__login=rafii_&hm__domain=hotmail.com&ip=10.111.82.8&d=d3572&mf=0&hm__ts=Tue%2c%2024%20Jun%202014%2017%3a51%3a44%20G MT&st=rafii_&hm__ha=01_259dce5eea432c853c4d81cf330cce2ef1369d3e 4ee26a231baea6391bbd7880&oneredir=1
The statistics in the table below represent the processing of NFA Forms over the past four weeks.




NFA FORMS PROCESSED BY WEEK







Date (Week of)



5/28/2014


6/4/2014


6/11/2014


6/18/2014


All Forms



4,815


5,629


5,635


6,323


eForms



1,199


1,204


1,905


1,682


Paper Forms



3,616


4,425


3,730


4,641




At the same time, ATF has directed additional resources to NFA application processing:

· There are currently 15 Legal Instrument Examiner (LIE) applicants currently in the background investigation phase of hiring.

· The use of overtime funding has been authorized for those employees processing NFA applications.

· ATF has cross-trained LIEs from various other ATF branches to support NFA application processing. This is an ongoing process and has already beneficially impacted application processing.

· ATF has dedicated additional data entry contract resources to reduce the time it takes for an application to be entered into the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record (NFRTR). As a result, data entry time has already been reduced from eight weeks to two weeks.

If you have any questions regarding any of the information included in this email, you may contact us through the eForms system by using “Ask the Experts” or by emailing us at eforms.admin_atf.gov.

Thank you for your continued support of eForms.

[Hound]

I got the same one. Good to hear. Would have helped more about two weeks ago though.

[Ranger353]

Me too, I got the email just now. Too bad I mailed my paper Form 1 back in April. [fail]

[lc_nab]

Yeah I know the feeling...

[MAP]

Just submitted an E-Form 1. We'll see how well it works.

Mike

[J]

Just put in another one, figured I might as well.

Got a weird error, then had to close the final boxes, then it says it is submitted/in process.

My Error was:

"ORA-01400: Cannot insert NULL into ("EPS"."EPS_LINE_ITEM_TEMPLATE"."USER_ID")

Clearly an Oracle DB insert error.

Then gave:

"Your form has been successfully submitted. Your application number is 2014XXXXXX"

Gonna give them a ring tomorrow and make sure all is OK. Will let you know what I find out. Let me know if anyone else gets this error.

[Great-Kazoo]

Just put in another one, figured I might as well.

Got a weird error, then had to close the final boxes, then it says it is submitted/in process.

My Error was:

"ORA-01400: Cannot insert NULL into ("EPS"."EPS_LINE_ITEM_TEMPLATE"."USER_ID")

Clearly an Oracle DB insert error.

Then gave:

"Your form has been successfully submitted. Your application number is 2014XXXXXX"

Gonna give them a ring tomorrow and make sure all is OK. Will let you know what I find out. Let me know if anyone else gets this error.

Click on your pending folder, that should show completed form in que.

[J]

It does show under the "Submitted / In Process" folder, and curious enough it still shows in my "Draft" folder too. But I did get the confirmation email for the form and the payment, so that is good. I'll still give them a call. Knowing how systems like this are often designed, their internal system is likely very different from what we see, but reads data from the same database. If there was a DB error, it has some potential to make it seen in one interface and not the other... the question is whether that potential is large or small, and without knowing the details of their architecture I cannot say for sure which it is.

That said, given the huge failures in technology deployed by the .GOV recently, I'm not certain I can even fathom a guess as to how it might or might not be set up. Conventional wisdom on systems design might not apply here.