Suppressors Have Gone Mainstream | REPEAL THE NFA

According to numbers supplied to the American Suppressor Association (ASA) by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), suppressors now account for 97.5% of all ATF Form 4s filed with the National Firearms Act (NFA) Division, up from 91.9% in 2016 through 2020.

The summer months are usually a slow time for firearms sales, but during this past summer, suppressor sales remained strong. It is speculated that the ATF’s quick processing times for Form 4s are spurring the growth in silencer sales as the public becomes aware of the ATF’s shrinking backlog. The median time for buyers purchasing a suppressor as an individual is less than a week. The wait times for trust have also fallen as the backlog has cleared, and new procedures for individual forms have been implemented. The median time for a buyer using a trust to acquire a suppressor is now less than two months. The FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) remains the bottleneck. Although this is a bottleneck, the FBI returns an “auto-proceed” on 70% of all submissions.

Americans are estimated to submit 715,042 and 762,180 Form 4s for suppressors to the ATF NFA Division this year.

The NFA applications for homemade suppressors have bottomed out since the ATF started cracking down on solvent traps and fuel filters. Home builders would buy solvent traps or fuel filters on Chinese websites such as Wish or pay a little more for higher quality American-made devices and convert the contraptions to functioning suppressors. The ATF started cracking down on these items by showing up at buyers’ doors, claiming these devices were already suppressors and the owners were violating the NFA. The agents would confiscate the items. People who submitted Form 1s for homemade suppressors also started being denied. Now, only .7% of Form 1s are for homemade suppressors. The ATF has made it almost impossible to make a suppressor at home.

As of July, there were 3,948,513 suppressors listed in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record (NFRTR). Americans who acquired the devices through an individual application hold the greatest number of suppressors. These owners hold 1,335,000 suppressors. Another 1,066,000 suppressors are registered under a trust. Only 1,157,000 suppressors are held by FFL/SOT holders. The military/law enforcement/government currently has 350,000 silencers in their inventory. Another 40,513 suppressors in the NFRTR have an “Other/Undetermined” status.

Texans have more suppressors than any other state, followed by Florida. The top ten is rounded out by Georgia, Utah, South Dakota, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Arizona, Washington, and North Carolina. Guam has the fewest suppressors within its border, with Puerto Rico being the second lowest. Rhode Island has the lowest number of suppressors outside the territories, followed by Hawaii. Delaware, Washington DC, Illinois, Vermont, New Jersey, and New York are among the top ten states with the fewest suppressors. Illinois is currently facing multiple lawsuits challenging its prohibition of suppressors of civilians.

Thirty-two percent of all suppressors sold are chambered for 7.62mm, followed by .22 with 24% of the market share. Suppressors chambered in 5.56mm account for 17% of all suppressors in circulation, followed by 9mm at 13% and .45 at 11%. Other calibers make up the rest, but none by more than 1%.

Thanks to Hollywood movies, suppressors were once thought to be the tools of assassins, but now they have gone mainstream. More people understand these devices as health-related items to protect one’s hearing. This understanding and the fast transfer times led more Americans to invest in these hearing-saving devices.

About John Crump

Mr. Crump is an NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. John has written about firearms, interviewed people from all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons, follow him on X at @crumpyss, or at www.crumpy.com.