If you have tried to create an account or submit an application at ATFOnline.gov over the last few weeks you are probably aware that the site is experiencing occasional performance issues.
Given the warm response that eForms has received from the industry, it is not surprising that the site is straining to keep up with the increased demand.
The good news is that the ATF is working hard to correct the issues. After all, they benefit from eForms almost as much as we do.
They sent out the following update today:
“We are diligently working with experts in the field to resolve the issues. Until we can get the issues resolved we will be implementing automated restarts of the server at 4:00 am, 9:00 am, NOON, 3:00 pm, and 11:00 pm eastern time. We have determined that the restart of the servers clears “stuck threads” on the servers and improves the overall performance of eForms. We realize that the unscheduled restarts were disrupting your workday and this will allow you to plan around the scheduled restarts.
Restarts will take approximately one hour to complete during which time eForms will not be available. Again, this is only a temporary measure until a more permanent solution is implemented.”
In other words, eForms will be unavailable for both dealers and individuals during the following hours (Eastern Standard Time):
4:00 am – 5:00 am
9:00 am – 10:00 am
Noon – 1:00 pm
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
11:00 pm – Midnight
Please remember … if you experience an issue with eForms, do not get frustrated and give up. The significant amount of time you will save on the processing of your application is well worth a few technology growing pains.
