NICS showing me some love lately...

[General Ordnance]

Long and the short of it, for the last several years, I have consistently received a delay every single time I have attempted a background check. It first started with a false denial, but once the initial appeal went through, I just kept getting delays and the proceed call would come in several days later. Up until that denial, I'd bought many guns in my life, and had never had any interaction with law enforcement in a criminal/DV/court ordered capacity.

Flash forward to 2014, a couple years after moving to MA, and I am sick and god damned tired of driving to BFE to shops with wonky inconvenient (read: closed Sundays/Mondays and early on Saturday) hours to pick up a firearm after the proceed comes in 4 days later (haven't found one shop that would transfer on the 3rd day here). I finally decide to send it for my UPIN. Paperwork taken care of, prints done, envelope mailed off, certified return receipt arrives back in my mailbox a week and a half later.

Flash forward to June 2015, I make the long drive to a dealer that gives me phenomenal prices. While he was on the phone with NICS I started commenting about how I'll have to be back in a few days to pick it up. A few seconds goes by and he says "No you won't, you'll take it today". Sumbitch got a proceed. I was stoked, but chalked it up to luck.

Yesterday, and today I performed two checks on lowers, both with instant proceeds. To which, I'm ecstatic about. I'll finally consider visiting gun shows.

Funny thing is though, I've yet to receive anything else from the ATF regarding my UPIN which I've still never received. I'm curious as to whether this has been anyone else's experience, and whether it's a signal of your UPIN being created, or whether ATF just fixed whatever flag existed in my profile to trigger a delay.

 

[pochito413]

Congrats. I also had to appmy for a upin. Had an arrest when i was 14. Sent in my app with everything needed and recoeved a letter saying they received my request. Havnt heard anything since. Havnt tried to buy anything since then though so i can comment on it

 

[terraformer]

You don't need to have the UPIN code back for it to have kicked in and working for you. The PIN part of the UPIN is not really the important part for most people. It's really that because you asked them to do it by applying for the UPIN, they have a pre-cleared authorization saved from higher level NICS examiners in your file and so it doesn't need a new examiner looking at the underlying problem every time you get NICS'd. So your UPIN is working fine and you will likely get it in the mail in the next few weeks anyhow.

 

[General Ordnance]

OK. The question is, I know that I'm good to go now, when I do receive the pin should I use it on my 4473 or just ignore it?

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

 

[terraformer]

OK. The question is, I know that I'm good to go now, when I do receive the pin should I use it on my 4473 or just ignore it?

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

I have no idea what is best to do.

 

[Mr. Gold]

Well, congrats .

 

[The Anchor]

i got my letter back from them, acknowledging receipt of the forms, in March '15, still waiting for my upin, and still getting delayed......

 

[LoginName]

OK. The question is, I know that I'm good to go now, when I do receive the pin should I use it on my 4473 or just ignore it?

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

I would just in case there's a glitch in the Matrix.

Question 9. Unique Personal Identification Number (UPIN):

For purchasers approved to have information maintained about them in the FBI
NICS Voluntary Appeal File, NICS will provide them with a Unique Personal
Identification Number, which the buyer should record in question 9. The
licensee may be asked to provide the UPIN to NICS or the State

 

[one-eyed Jack]

OK. The question is, I know that I'm good to go now, when I do receive the pin should I use it on my 4473 or just ignore it?

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

I've never had an examiner ask for it. Jack.

 

[Qwikdraw45]

You don't need to have the UPIN code back for it to have kicked in and working for you. The PIN part of the UPIN is not really the important part for most people. It's really that because you asked them to do it by applying for the UPIN, they have a pre-cleared authorization saved from higher level NICS examiners in your file and so it doesn't need a new examiner looking at the underlying problem every time you get NICS'd. So your UPIN is working fine and you will likely get it in the mail in the next few weeks anyhow.

OK, so if you have applied for it, but not yet received it, then you can't put it on your 4473. So, if you don't have it to put on your 4473, how do they know that you are the "John Johnson" that should be cleared, vs. the "John Johnson" that needs to be denied? Isn't that the purpose of the UPIN - to prevent a lawful buyer from being denied because they are mistaken for an illegal buyer?

 

[terraformer]

OK, so if you have applied for it, but not yet received it, then you can't put it on your 4473. So, if you don't have it to put on your 4473, how do they know that you are the "John Johnson" that should be cleared, vs. the "John Johnson" that needs to be denied? Isn't that the purpose of the UPIN - to prevent a lawful buyer from being denied because they are mistaken for an illegal buyer?

That's one purpose, and the originally conceived purpose. But the majority of people with delays/denials are because the first level examiner is not allowed to make decisions, so it goes up the chain which takes time. NICS is also denying on more and more specious information these days which is why having a prior clear from a higher up examiner makes it go through immediately. That prior clear or isn't there for everyone else because the history is thrown away. The history is not thrown away for people with UPINs.

 

[Bdh821]

Good to hear. I always get delayed. Where do I get prints for the UPIN? I tried my local PD and they did nothing but give me a huge attitude. Stupid dispatch wouldn't let me talk to anyone else..

 

[FPrice]

I saw this and my first dyslexic thought was that you liked what Mark Harmon and his team are doing lately.

 

[Mr Weebles]

My transactions started getting delayed a year or so ago. Not sure why, I never had a delay whatsoever prior to that point. The wait was anywhere from a couple hours to a few days.

My paranoid mind did notice the delays started soon after my FOIA request to the NH DoS regarding their proposed new gun regulations but it's probably a coincidence.

Looks like I'll be getting a UPIN.

 

[Periphery]

I need a UPIN too, I get delayed constantly.

 

[Bourget117]

I had the exact same problem myself as the OP. Kept getting 3 day delays. Finally filled out paperwork for upin. Got a letter about a month after that saying that they are very backed up and that they are processing upin requests back from November 2014. And this was July 2015. So I figures nothing I can do but wait for it. In the meantime went to make a purchase back in July and told the guy at the counter I'll pay today but it will get delayed and that I'll be ready to pick it up in a few days. Same as usual. After running everything through the computer I was shocked when he said your all set, you can take it home today.

 

[terraformer]

People getting delays in the last few years reflects that the Obama administration has altered how NICS works, or doesn't work, and they now flag everything, even minor stuff. It's absurd, but this is what is happening.

 

[Qwikdraw45]

I love how everyone here is quick to jump on the "I'll give prints" bandwagon to get a quicker "proceed". I asked NH members what they thought about an enhanced permit similar to AZ's. The only other additional requirement was prints. That permit (in AZ and other states) allows you to skip the NICS call entirely - dealers just write down the permit number and out the door you go. Everyone had a $%#* fit about proposing something like that - "just to spead up the check time".

 

[bgoum]

Got a delay today on my 2nd purchase ever. Totally clean record. Biggest infraction I ever had was a speeding ticket over 12 years ago. FFL told me if I do not hear back from them before this Saturday (3 business days) just come in on Saturday AM and pick up your firearm.