GAO found that 10 percent of the firearms license applications (submitted during the week it conducted a survey of ATF procedures) were not approved during the statutory 45- day time requirement. The processing times for those licenses approved late ranged from 46 to 71 days. ATF's method of tracking and reporting late applications was not accurate because applications that area offices requested application examiners to hold were not being counted as late. GAO found that the licensing process was inefficient in that applications that area offices decided not to inspect sat in suspense files until pre-established target approval dates were reached. Finally, because of weaknesses in the completeness and accuracy of State and Federal criminal history records, and difficulty in verifying other applicant information, ATF could not ensure that firearms applicants met all statutory qualifications. 3 appendixes