When most people hear about NFA Gun Trusts, the concept can be a little difficult to grasp.  [UPDATE] Now that 41F has passed, there is a lot of outdated information still floating around the interwebs.  We'd like to point out that there are still many advantages to registering your silencer through a trust and here is a brief overview of a few of them.

Multiple People Can Share Possession

Most people have family members or friends who may need access to their NFA items from time to time. NFA Gun TrustFor example, imagine you're not home and your spouse ends up using the suppressor on a home defense gun.  (Yes, you should definitely use a suppressor in that situation.) If you registered using a trust, and added your spouse as a trustee, you're good to go - but, if you registered as an individual, your spouse will have committed a felony. As a second example, imagine going hunting with your son.  If you head to one blind and he goes to another - he's committing a felony if he takes the suppressor and you registered it as an individual. There are countless examples like these - where registering using a trust simply makes more sense.

It's a More Flexible Option

We often talk to young people who think the previous reason doesn't apply to them because they're single. It turns out that using a trust is also more flexible than registering as an individual because trustees can be added or removed at any time. For you young/single people out there, if you're ever going to get married or have kids you'll definitely want to register using a trust now.  Moving a suppressor from an individual registration to a trust or corporation requires an additional $200 tax stamp. Keep in mind that it's your responsibility to ensure the trustees can legally posses a suppressor (i.e. they're at least 18 years old and that they haven't committed a felony).  Because of this, most people limit the trustees to either family or close friends.  

Registering Using a Trust is Faster

At Silencer Shop, we submit 10's of thousands of NFA applications every year - and we consistently see that trust registrations get approved roughly 4 weeks faster.  Of course, this does vary; but, the ATF process is long enough already without adding any additional time.

[Update] Traditional vs. "Single Shot" Trusts

The post 41F silencer market has changed a bit.  It's not any more difficult - as some would lead you to believe - but it is different.  The gap between trust and individual filing has shrunk significantly and having a trust with a long list of trustees can sometimes be difficult to manage if you have responsible parties listed on your trust, who aren't in the mood to go get their fingerprints done. Silencer Shop acknowledges this and has a solution for you!  Our Single Shot Trust is designed to be a single trust for a single silencer (or other NFA item).  No notary, no scanning documents, no keeping track of items held within.  The trust is named after the serial number of the item you are registering and you can add trustees through a simple amendment form after you receive approval!  It isn't a replacement for the tried-and-true traditional trust, but it is the right solution for some.  Click here to learn more about the Single Shot Trust and see if it is the right solution for your needs.    

Conclusion

We hope it's clear why using a trust is a great way to register any NFA item - such as suppressors or short barrel rifles. Fortunately, setting up a trust only takes a few minutes - and only has to be done once. If you're looking into buying an NFA item of any kind, from anybody, we highly recommend you start out the process by using a gun trust.