Important Information Regarding Suppressor Sales & the NFA

Intro to the NFA

Thinking about purchasing a silencer or SBR, but you don’t know where to start? You’ve come to the right place! Purchasing an NFA item can seem complicated at first, but we aim to make this process as easy as possible for you.

This page contains important information regarding the purchase and ownership of NFA items. If this is your first NFA purchase, we recommend you read this entire page to help get you acquainted. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us!

What is the NFA?

On June 26^th, 1934, Congress passed the National Firearm Act (NFA) to limit the availability of machine guns, short-barreled shotguns (SBS), short-barreled rifles (SBR), silencers, and other similar weapons often used by criminals during the Prohibition Era. The NFA imposed a tax on the manufacture, import, and distribution of NFA weapons and required a central registry of all NFA firearms in the United States that were not under the control of the United States government. The tax imposed on transfers of NFA items was set at $200, roughly double what a Thompson M1921 submachine gun would have cost in 1934, and has no provision to be increased.

Through the Gun Control Act of 1968, congress expanded the scope of the National Firearms Act to include destructive devices (grenades, explosives, and weapons with a bore greater than one-half inch), machine gun receivers, and machine gun conversion kits.

On May 19^th, 1986, Congress passed the Firearms Owners’ Protection Act, which prohibited possession of machine guns that were not legally possessed (registered) prior to its enactment. This change prohibits citizens from purchasing a newly manufactured machine gun, allowing them only to be available to the U.S. government and law enforcement agencies.

How do I buy an NFA item?

Purchasing a silencer, SBR, or any other NFA item, is different than your standard firearm purchase. NFA items are registered to their owner in the ATF’s National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record (NFRTR). To purchase an NFA item, a completed ATF Form 4, passport-type photo, fingerprints, and a $200 transfer tax must be submitted to the ATF. Upon submission, the ATF will begin processing the application, and after some waiting, approve the transfer of the firearm and register it to you in the NFRTR. We will let you know as soon as your application is approved so you can pick up your new NFA item.

NOTE: If you have ordered a silencer that we do not have in stock, or you ordered online through Silencer Shop, we must wait for the silencer to be at our store before we can submit your Form 4. The ATF must register the silencer to our store via a Form 3 and approve the shipment before we receive it, unfortunately this process can take up to 2 weeks. Your silencer must physically be here before we can start your Form 4.

What is the Form 4?

The ATF Form 4 is used to request approval to transfer and register an NFA item to a new owner. This form requires information not normally needed for a firearm purchase, such as your fingerprints, a passport-style photo, E-Mail address, phone number, and your preferred registration method. Each Form 4 will require a transfer tax payment, typically $200, detailed information regarding the firearm being transferred, and the additional Law Enforcement agency being notified of your application. The best way to submit a Form 4 is digitally through ATF eForms, however paper forms can be submitted if necessary.

What are my options for registration?

There are several ways you can choose to register for you NFA item, however the most popular choices are Individual registration, or Trust registration. We have created a separate page with information specific to registration methods here. If this is your first NFA purchase please read through the page in its entirety.

What is ATF eForms? How can I create an account?

ATF eForms is the digital paperwork submission portal that allows us to file any NFA transfer paperwork online. To submit your Form 4 via eForms, you must have a valid ATF eForms account (create one here!). When creating your account, the ATF will generate a username for you using the first letter of your first name, the first five letters of your last name, and five random numbers (example: JSMITH12345). Your username cannot be changed. You will create your own password for your account, as well as your own 4-digit PIN. Please save your information for your eForms account, as you will need your username and PIN to submit your Form 4.

How do I get my fingerprints and photo?

There are a few different options for fingerprinting, but we aim to keep it simple. We are a Powered by Silencer Shop dealer with a S.I.D. kiosk in house for easy digital fingerprinting and data collection. We also have a small backdrop for taking passport-style photos. A selfie will work fine, or we can take the picture for you! If you are taking your photo on your own, make sure you aren’t wearing a hat and have a simple background behind you. Stop in and let us know you need your fingerprints and photo for your NFA purchase and we will walk you through the process! You will need to have a Silencer Shop account, which can be created at any time on SilencerShop.com.

I’m ready to make my purchase, now what?

Once you’re ready to make your purchase, give us a call! You can always make a purchase online at SilencerShop.com if your item is in stock, however if there is something you don’t see, or is out of stock, we might be able to acquire it from one of our many distributors. Don’t worry, we can still process your paperwork using Silencer Shop’s software regardless of where the silencer comes from.

At the time of purchase, the silencer must be paid for in full, however the Tax Stamp and any additional fees (such as the $24.95 Single Shot trust fee) can be paid the day your Form 4 is submitted. If you purchase your silencer through Silencer Shop, you will need to pay for your Tax Stamp and Trust (if applicable) at the time of purchasing. Once again, if you have placed an order through Silencer Shop, your silencer will not ship immediately. The ATF must register the silencer to our store and approve the shipment via a Form 3, which can take up to 2 weeks. We must physically have your silencer at our store before we can submit your eForm 4.

If your silencer is in stock at our store, we will simply assign it to your Silencer Shop account to start the transfer process. If your silencer is being shipped in, we will log it in to our system and then assign the silencer to your Silencer Shop account. Once we have assigned a silencer to you, keep an eye on your email! Silencer Shop looks over all of your account information to verify it is correct, and will notify you if something needs changed.

Silencer Shop’s verification of your account information can take a day or two, and once they confirm it is correct they will request signatures from you via email. The signatures are collected via DocuSign, and must be completed before we can submit your Form 4 to the ATF.

My eForm 4 says “Ready to certify”, what’s next?

Once your account information is verified and your signatures are on file, we are ready to submit your eForm 4. The final submission of your paperwork can be done remotely or in store, whichever method is easiest for you. We will inspect the Form 4 together to ensure everything is accurate. After everything is verified to be correct, you will be prompted to input the username and PIN associated with eForms account. After the form is submitted, you should receive an email from the ATF notifying you of the submission made on your account. Once your purchase is approved, you should receive an email from the ATF notifying you. We will give you a call just in case you missed it.

To pick up your silencer, you will need to fill out a standard 4473 as if you were purchasing a non-NFA firearm, however we do not call in a background check as one was already completed for you during the NFA process.

If you still have questions regarding the NFA, or how to purchase a suppressor, please call us at (937) 667-3315, and ask for Max - our resident NFA Guru.