• Suppressors are legal in the United States. 
• Suppressors fall under the regulation of the National Firearms Act of 1934. 
• NFA items require owners to meet requirements including: citizenship, age, criminal record, and state of residence. 
• NFA firearms go through an application process administered by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, known as an ATF Form 4 transfer 
• Silencer Shop is the most streamlined way to get a suppressor. 

Owning a suppressor is simple and easy! You don't need a special firearm license or certification to own a suppressor. You just need to meet some basic requirements, including your citizenship, age requirements, living in a state that allows suppressors, and passing the required background check. We’ll walk you through the steps to start your suppressor ownership journey and show that getting your own silencer is a breeze.

• Are Silencers Illegal?  
• Purchasing a Suppressor  
• Buying a tax stamp  
• Suppressor Filing Methods
• What Information Is Needed For a Suppressor? 
• Create your ATF eForms Account
• How to Certify your Form 4
• Conclusion

No, silencers are not illegal, and almost anyone can own a silencer in the USA. The NFA community is growing more and more every years, and for good reason! Silencers will protect your hearing, reduce recoil, and they're just plain fun! We make the suppressor-buying process as easy as possible for responsible gun owners and law-abiding citizens. So, how hard is it to own a suppressor? Getting a silencer is easy, but there are a few legal requirements you need to meet. You must be at least 21 years of age, be a resident of the United States, be legally eligible to purchase a firearm, pass a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) background check, pay a $200 Tax Stamp, and reside in one of the 42 states that currently allows civilian ownership of suppressors. So long as you meet these requirements, you can start your stamp collection, protect your hearing, and add NFA items to your safe! 

This is the fun part! The process starts with you purchasing a suppressor of your choice. If you need a hand in deciding which silencer is the best for you, we have a dedicated staff available to chat via phone (512-931-4556), email, and online chat. We have also published dedicated blogs of our top picks in each of these categories: 22lr, 9mm, 5.56, 45 ACP, 7.62, Big Bore, and multi cal.  

You’ll also want to weigh what’s most important to you in your suppressor’s performance. Things like size, weight, length, long-range accuracy, durability, modularity, sound performance, and repeatable POI so you don't have to re-zero your firearm are all factors in finding your perfect silencer setup. Don’t fret! Our customer service professionals would be happy to help you narrow down our vast inventory to find a good fit for you.  

An approved tax stamp is required to own NFA firearms such as silencers. This is a $200 federal tax for the purchase of all items regulated under the National Firearms Act (NFA). For each suppressor you purchase, you will need to add a tax stamp to your cart.  

In addition to purchasing a suppressor and tax stamp, you'll need to choose how you intend to file as the owner of your suppressor. These options will allow you varying degrees of flexibility, with trusts being the most flexible and individual being the most rigid.  

Suppressor Registration Methods:  

• Individual  
• Single Shot Trust (this is the most popular)  
• Traditional NFA Gun Trust  
• Corporation  
• Filing as an individual permits you and only you to possess the suppressor. Utilizing a trust or corporation means responsible parties can be added or removed at any time to use the suppressor without you present. Again, if you have questions, use our chat feature to contact our customer service pros or read our dedicated blogs on the differences in these filing types.

There are a few key pieces of info required for your suppressor application. The Silencer Shop Kiosk makes submitting your info more convenient than ever. You can now scan your fingerprints and answer your demographic info electronically instead of having to roll your prints at a police station or other fingerprinting location. This makes things faster, easier, and more streamlined. It is also once and done. Once your info is on file, you never have to do your prints again:  

• Fingerprints: This is super simple to do, and you only have to do it once! We have a whole host of kiosks all around the nation so you can find a Powered by Silencer Shop Dealer nearest to you. You can also do this manually with a fingerprinting packet that has all of the instructions that you need to easily complete and send back to us using the prepaid shipping label provided.   
• Demographic information: You may have needed to submit this sort of information for a concealed carry permit, depending on your state. If you visit a Silencer Shop kiosk to submit prints, you can submit this information then, or you can do it through your Silencer Shop dashboard.  
• A passport-style photo: The ATF is picky about which photos are acceptable, but the Silencer Shop smartphone app makes it easy to snap a compliant selfie. Just take a selfie, from your shoulders up, facing forward, against a neutral-colored wall, and you should be good to go. Our Compliance team also screens all of these photos to ensure they are ATF-compliant.
• NOTE: Photos need to be updated once every year, but the Silencer Shop App can take care of this in less than a minute!   

Once all the above materials and information have been submitted, Silencer Shop will compile them into a completed “Form 4” the specific ATF paperwork required to own a silencer. Your application will be emailed to you via DocuSign for your electronic signature. We'll check everything over one more time, then get it out the door!

Since January 2022, Americans have been able to submit electronic Form 4s, which make the submission process easier and have reduced the processing times. In order to submit an eForm 4 you need to create an ATF eForms account. Be sure that all of the information matches between your Silencer Shop and eForms accounts, including using the same email address for both logins.  

Once your eForm 4 is prepped and signed, compliance has checked it for accuracy, and your accounts are complete, your eForm 4 will be ready to submit to the ATF for processing. You can certify the application with your dealer either in person or remotely using a smartphone, tablet, or desktop computer. You will get an email from the ATF stating your application was revived, and its status will be “Submitted/In Process” You will receive another email once the eForm 4 has been processed, and you will be ready to pick up your new silencer.   

Yes, silencers are legal in the US and now you know the steps to easily get one for yourself. Simply choose a new silencer, check out our blogs if you need a hand. Then, figure out which filing method is best for you, trusts are usually the most “future-proof” options. Get your Silencer Shop account and personal information entered, then set up your ATF eForms account. After you verify all the information is correct via DocuSign and certify your application with your dealer, your eForm 4 will be sent off to the ATF for processing. If you have any questions or need more information on these steps, reach out to us via phone, email, chat, or our many social media accounts, and we are happy to help!