Is it necessary for a LEO to take your prints on the cards, or is it acceptable to do them yourself?

For any reason to get fingerprinted, no legitimate entity would trust prints done by yourself.

Nothing against you, but they want your prints for a reason....they want to make sure they are yours

Yes, you can do them yourself. A lot of people do.

Simply untrue. Many, many people have done their own prints for NFA applications and been successful. 

OP, you can request free cards from the ATF, and get a good ink pad and you can do your own. Get extra cards for practice. 

As long as it's on the right card and readable they don't care if your cat did them. I've done prints on myself, had Sheriffs do them, had them done by my coworkers in the Fed. Bureau of Prison and even UPS. The Highway Patrol Director that signed of on my first Class 3 had no idea where I got my prints. He didn't care either.

Arizona requires a set of prints for health care workers in hospitals and clinics. They give the cards to the employers and they do them or send you ou tto get 'em done. They don't care. No chain of evidence or certification needed and they are looking for bad/untrustworthy workers  that might be dangerous to patients.

Greg

First, this is totally false.

Second, why would you think that?  If you were given bad information, then that's not on you, but if you were just sharing your opinion then maybe you should think twice before posting in a technical forum.

There are already enough people confused about NFA we don't need you spreading fake news.

It is acceptable to do them yourself. Anyone qualified to do so may take the prints. (There are no qualification standards, only CJIS acceptability standards for the prints themselves.) They have no expiration date either. Prints don't change unless your fingers change. I am a LEO and supervise my agency's civil fingerprint system.