It appears that the ATF has entered politics.
While there is no cost to continue and not make any changes to a website, there is surly a cost to change a website and post a message stating that a service has been suspended.
Perhaps someone at the ATF volunteered their time to make the change, or perhaps it was a paid employee trying to make a point for the benefit of others.
If you visit the eForm at the atfonline.gov website it states
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eForms Outage
Due to the lapse in appropriation of federal funds, the e-Forms system is temporarily suspended until further notice.
We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you in advance for your cooperation and patience.
ASSISTANCE:
Please direct questions to the OST Customer Support Help Desk at 1-877-875-3723 or Helpdesk-OSTCS@atf.gov.
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Kind of like hiring police to inforce no fishing in a park in the ocean. Can’t the government find better things to waste money on?