During lapses in federal appropriations, non-law-enforcement staff at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) can be furloughed, which can stall processing of new and renewed civilian federal firearms licenses and National Firearms Act (NFA) applications, delaying civilian acquisition of NFA-regulated items such as short-barreled rifles and silencers.
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How funding lapses can affect firearms licensing and NFA application processing.