Delayed Gun Purchase

[creekbear]

I hope this is the right place to post this , if not please re-direct me. I am gn owner that has never been involved with the law much less convicted of a crime even during my teenage years. I am 14 year USMM ( United States Merchant Mariner) and I am currently holding a USCG mate /pilots liscense in good standings with all associated agencies DOT,USCG,EPA,and the DOE . I am allowed to drive hundreds of thousands of tons of hazerdous cargo through major cities i.e. Houston Tx. , New Orleans La. , etc etc. By the way the US Coast Guard gave me the liscense to do this . I have never purchased massive amounts of firearms and have never purchased a assault weapon or anything resembling one, all of my purchase have been basic hunting rifles 22lr to 30-06 ,handguns 357 magnum 44magnum both sa rugers and have recently purchased a kimber 1911 45 , 1 shotgun rem 870 12 guage . My question is why is it that everytime i try to purchase a firearm i instantly get delay? I provide all the information  requested acurrately and without hesitation as I have nothing to hide. My name and ssn has been involved with the fbi and us government for the last 14 years with no problems so you would think that would say something for me. That being said my wife is a 24 year old house-wife with no technical training at all as a matter of fact her drivers liscense and ss card dont even match because since we have been married she has never had it changed,but she can go into a gun store , pawn shop , and get instant approval for a gun purchase!!! WHAT GIVES Is there a way to find out why i get delayed and to possibly resolve the problem if there is one? I have searched extensively for the answer and keep drawing blanks, please any info or advise would be greatly appreciated. While this is not the end of the world I want to know why ,Even though I play by all the rules I still get punished ? Can this issue be changed or am i doomed to a 3 day wait forever ? Thanks in advance.

[GregP42]

Creekbear,

My dad goes through the same thing every time and he has a federal blasting lic and class 3 weapons. There is a form you can fill out to request why your made to wait. I think dad just asked for the information when they called it in last time for him to purchase a firearm.

Greg

[PA-Joe]

There must be some one with a similar name and therefore you get flagged. If it doesn't clear ina few days then I would check.

[creekbear]

The problem is I never get a call approving the purchase I always have to wait the 3 full days. If I occasionally got a call back getting approval then i would assume that the system was working ,but it seems that for some unknown reason I am flagged for delay. I would like to think that i am entitled to know the reason behind the delay . I am thinking of applying for a concealed weapons permit and ffl liscense but am kind of reluctant to start the process because if i am denied then i am out a hundred bucks for processing fees . I Have asked for the form to fill out requesting why i am delayed but at several different stores have been told that form is for denials only and basically to sit down shutup and deal with it , well sorry i am not built to sit down and shutup .

[Graybeard]

I'd contact BATFE and ask them the procedure to determine why the delay. They should be able to help you in finding out why.

[pills]

A friend of mine has the same dilemma. His started once he got his CCW here in Oklahoma.

[GRIMJIM]

I have the same problem, although I know why there is a delay so I always call to make sure it went through before I go to pick the firearm up. I learned the hard way by making multiple trips to a bass pro shop that's about an hour away from my house.

Oh about the delay I got into some trouble as a kid and had my foid revoked. I had to jump through a lot of hoops to get it back, but there is always a delay, I guess they have to make sure I went through the appeal process and got it reinstated.

[Hairtrigger]

My approval has been delayed  almost two dozen times in the last 2 years.
The owner of the shop that does my transfers offers no explanations. He says that most of his delays are for law enforcement and a few others that have common names.
Just like clockwork, I have to wait 2 days.
no big deal for me

[briarpatch]

That just happened to me for the first time  a couple of weeks ago. I have never had a problem before then.  The store worker said they would not tell him why but he said it happened a lot. He also said that he has resubmitted the background check for someone that did not go thorough and it went through a few minutes later.  I waited the the three days and received the gun. 

[GatCat]

As others have mentioned, probably someone else has very similar, or exact , same name, and/or very close date of birth. There is a form you can fill out, and send in, along with a set of fingerprints, to BATF or NICS and after research, they will issue you a PIN #, and when your FFL calls in the info, they ask for a supervisor, give them the PIN, and the transfer should go through. Yea, it's a shame you have to go trough all this, but with 250 million or so folks here in the U.S, I guess glitches are inevitable. Any large FFL holder should have the forms I mentioned. Good Luck. Mark.

[victorcharlie]

I do several background checks per week and speak with the girls doing the check by phone about why a person might be delayed or denied.

While specific reasons can't be discussed on an individual basis some of the reasons they delay them are:

 Common last names such as Smith, Jones, Johnson etc. are more likely to be delayed.

A computer or link problem can cause a delay.

Not enough help to process all the applications in a timely manner can cause a delay.

Records transcribed incorrectly can cause a delay.

Court action such as unpaid child support can cause a delay.

Mistaken identity. 

Honestly, considering the number of applications our store does,only a very few get delayed or denied.

[Dixie Dude]

If you ever purchased a gun from a dealer, then later sold it to an individual, and they had it stolen, your name stays on the check list for 2 years.  I had this happen to me.  Sold a gun to a friend of mine.  He had it stolen out of the back of his truck one night.  So, my name is on the list.  Have to wait 2-3 days when I purchase now.

[Dixie Dude]

I'm not quite sure, but my wife looked it up on line.  They want to make sure you are not a "straw" dealer, is what they told me. 

[victorcharlie]

This weekend, a customer who was deigned some time ago told me he had been through the appeals process and found out what happened.

He was charged with auto theft some 30 years ago.  The charges were dropped.  He had bought several rifles in the past and had no problem.  For what ever reason, the record re-appeared and he was denied.

Maybe a server was restored with old data.....maybe some of those old records are now being entered into the data base.  Maybe, someone entered it incorrectly.

IMO, there seem to be a small percentage of people who are denied versus those that apply.  If your denied......then by all means appeal.....