Firearm Suppressor Registrations
Outpace Historic Figures

Shooting suppressed is as normalized among the shooting and hunting community as TikTok is with Gen Z. What was a rarity as recently as a decade ago, it is now a normal occurrence to find a suppressor-equipped firearm at a local range or hunting camp.

What is the process to legally acquire a suppressor or silencer? The oversimplified version is to legally buy one from a retailer and register it. The process is mostly straightforward but does require a $200 transfer tax and a significant processing and wait time. This has been the procedure since the National Firearms Act (NFA) was enacted in 1934.

For many years, the expectation was to "buy it and forget it." Customers were unlikely to physically grasp their paid-in-full item for several months or a year. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has received exponentially more Form 4s for silencers as their popularity has grown. Through the combined efforts of NSSF, the firearm industry, and ATF, however, the process has dramatically improved beyond anyone's expectations. .....