Reply #10: hate to say it, but

[one-eyed fat man]

petty bureaucrats traditionally inflate their self-importance by making people wait. Oft-times the strategy is to make them wait long enough to give up. Their pay does not depend on output so each person they have cooling their heels who leaves in frustration is work they avoid.

The old adage, "The squeaky wheel gets the grease," applies here. Just remember, if you squeak too loudly or to the wrong person and paperwork gets "lost." Regardless what the law says, if you take them to court, I can tell you now that you will run out of money to pay your lawyer before they run out of money for theirs, unless you can get the ACLU to take up your case, which is highly unlikely since they don't think the Second Amendment is an individual right either.

So you are left with the only option, suck it up, wait,and write politely now and then to check. (Mail sent registered is a lot tougher to ignore or deny than a phone call,)