Suppressor Buyer’s Guide — Updated for the 2026 Court Ruling
We took the ATF to federal court, and we won. In most states, you can now buy a suppressor like any other firearm: no NFA paperwork, no wait, no registry. Pick your state below and we’ll show you exactly how it works where you live.
You want quieter range days and hunting trips, better hearing protection, and to stop driving home from the range with your ears ringing. Noise-induced hearing loss is permanent, and it adds up with every unprotected shot. A suppressor is one of the simplest, most effective ways to protect the hearing you have left. Plus, they’re just really fun to shoot with.
For 90 years, buying a silencer meant federal registration, fingerprints, and months of waiting. On August 5, 2026, a federal court ruled in Silencer Shop Foundation v. ATF, our case, that the NFA’s registration requirements are unconstitutional for suppressors. That ruling is now in effect. In most states, the Form 4, the wait, and the registry are gone.
How you buy now depends on your state, and we make it simple either way. Find your state on the map below, tap it, and we’ll take you straight to the process that applies to you.
A federal court ruled the NFA’s registration requirements unconstitutional for suppressors in our case, Silencer Shop Foundation v. ATF. In Free States that means no Form 4, no fingerprints, no months-long wait, and no registry. Just a standard background check at your dealer, like any other firearm. And the $200 tax stamp? Congress already cut it to $0 in January.
Follow the case and what it meansStart Here
Tap your state and we’ll take you straight to the right process. Red states have no NFA process. Blue states still use it, and we handle every form. Grey states don’t allow suppressors yet.
Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Standard background check at your dealer. No Form 4, no wait, no registry. See the process.
Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Wisconsin.
State law still requires the NFA process, and we handle the paperwork end to end. See the process.
California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island, plus Washington, D.C.
Suppressors are not currently legal in these places, and we’re fighting to change that.
Free States · No NFA Process
In Free States, the court’s ruling is fully in effect. A suppressor now transfers exactly like any other firearm. Here’s the entire process:
Choose your suppressor and your local dealer, then check out online.
Browse the best suppressors by caliber, host firearm, and brand. Not sure which can is right for you? Take our Suppressor Finder Quiz for a personalized recommendation. At checkout, select a Powered by Silencer Shop dealer near you as your pickup location.
Pass a standard background check at your dealer, same as any firearm.
When your suppressor arrives at your dealer, you complete the same Form 4473 and NICS background check you’d complete for any firearm purchase. No Form 4, no fingerprints, no photos, no ATF approval wait, and no registry entry.
Walk out the same day and hit the range.
That’s it. Typically you walk in and walk out the same day, hearing protected. The months of waiting are history in your state, and Silencer Shop customers are covered by the court’s relief while the case proceeds.
No Form 4. No fingerprints. No ATF wait time. No registry. Still a background check, still through licensed dealers, still 100% legal.
NFA States · We Handle Everything
Your state’s law still requires the NFA process, and nobody on earth makes it easier. We’ve simplified it to three steps you can do from your couch, and we’re fighting to end the NFA process in your state too.
Choose your suppressor, pick your local dealer, and check out online.
Browse the best suppressors by caliber, host firearm, and brand. Not sure which can is right for you? Take our Suppressor Finder Quiz for a personalized recommendation. Once you find the right one, add it to your cart and select a Powered by Silencer Shop dealer near you — that’s where you’ll pick it up after ATF approval.
Set up your Silencer Shop and ATF eForms accounts, then sign your documents.
We walk you through account setup, submitting your fingerprints at a Silencer Shop kiosk, uploading your photo, and signing your documents electronically. No printer. No notary. No mailing fingerprint cards.
Watch for your ATF approval email, pick it up from your dealer, and hit the range.
The ATF reviews your application and emails you when it’s approved. Then you visit your selected dealer and walk out with your new suppressor. Electronic eForm approvals are currently coming back in days to a few weeks — check our live wait-time tracker for today’s average.
Restricted States
Suppressors are not currently legal for civilian ownership in California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, or Washington, D.C. The same fight that just beat the NFA in federal court continues, and extending suppressor rights to every lawful American is exactly what we’re fighting for.
Checklist
In Free States: just what you’d bring to buy any firearm — a valid government-issued ID for your background check at the dealer. That’s the whole list.
In NFA-process states, here’s the checklist, and we help with every item:
That’s it. You do not need any special license to own a suppressor, in any state where they’re legal.
In NFA-process states, buying a silencer used to mean stacks of forms, fingerprint cards by mail, a trip to your local police chief’s office, and a year of wondering whether you filled everything out correctly. We replaced all of that with software, in-house NFA expertise, and a process built to make suppressor ownership simple. And in Free States, there’s no paperwork left to handle at all.
You just get ready to hit the range once you’re approved.
Why Silencer Shop
More than a million Americans have gone through this process with us. We’re the largest NFA distributor in the country, with a network of more than 6,000 partner dealers nationwide and Silencer Shop kiosks across the country. And when it was time to take the fight to the NFA, we led the case that won. Whether this is your first suppressor or your fifteenth, you’re in good hands.
Better range days are waiting. Pick a suppressor, pick your dealer, and we’ll handle whatever your state requires.
FAQ
On August 5, 2026, a federal court ruled in Silencer Shop Foundation v. ATF that the NFA’s registration and approval requirements are unconstitutional for suppressors, SBRs, SBSs, and AOWs. With the ruling in effect, suppressors in Free States transfer like any other firearm: no Form 4, no wait, no registry. The court’s relief covers Silencer Shop customers, present and future.
Depends on your state. In Free States, no: you complete a standard Form 4473 and NICS background check at your dealer, and that’s it. In NFA-process states, state law still requires the Form 4, and we handle it end to end like we always have. Check your state on the map.
In Free States, it’s typically same-day: pass your background check at the dealer and walk out with your suppressor. In NFA-process states, the ATF reviews your Form 4 first; electronic eForm filings have recently averaged a couple weeks, though times move around, so check our live wait-time tracker for the current average.
In Free States, yes. Once your suppressor is at your dealer and you pass the standard background check, you take it home, typically the same day. In NFA-process states, ATF approval still comes first, and we make that as fast and painless as it can be.
No. As of January 1, 2026, the $200 federal transfer tax on suppressors has been eliminated in every state. And in Free States, the court ruling ended the registration process that went with it. See what the $0 stamp means.
Yes, in every state. Suppressors transfer through licensed dealers with the same federal background check used for any firearm purchase. That didn’t change, and we wouldn’t want it to. What changed is the redundant layer of NFA paperwork stacked on top.
In Free States, no. Covered purchases transfer like any other firearm, with no NFA registry entry. In NFA-process states, state law still requires NFA registration for now, and we’re fighting to change that.
Yes. Suppressors are legal to own in 42 states. In 27 of those states there’s no NFA process; in 15, state law still requires it. We confirm your state’s rules at checkout — and if your state doesn’t allow suppressor ownership, we’ll tell you before you pay.
A suppressor typically costs between $300 and $1,500, depending on caliber, materials, and brand — and there’s no longer a $200 federal tax stamp on top of that. We carry a wide range of suppressors at different price points and can help you find the right one.
No, a gun trust is not required. In Free States there’s no NFA registration at all, so a trust isn’t part of the purchase. In NFA-process states, a trust can be helpful if you want a spouse or adult child to legally use the suppressor without you present. We offer a free Single Shot Trust at checkout to buyers who want one.
Yes. You buy the suppressor online and pick it up from a local dealer. In Free States, pickup happens as soon as it arrives at your dealer and you pass your background check. In NFA-process states, pickup follows ATF approval. Either way, you choose a partnered dealer near you at checkout.
Nothing — “silencer” and “suppressor” are two names for the same device. Hiram Maxim, who patented it in 1909, called it a silencer, and that’s still the term federal law uses. Manufacturers and shooters often say “suppressor” because it’s more accurate: the device suppresses the sound of a gunshot, but it doesn’t make a firearm completely silent.
In Free States, no; there’s no NFA filing, so there’s no CLEO notification. In NFA-process states, the ATF requires a CLEO notification when you file a Form 4, and we send it electronically on your behalf the same day we file. You never have to drop anything off at your local department.
In Free States, a suppressor is treated like any other firearm you own. In NFA-process states, if you registered as an individual, your spouse and family can shoot with your suppressor as long as you’re present and in control of it; a gun trust lets others use it without you present.
We fought. We won. In most states, you can buy a suppressor today and shoot it today.
We led the case. You get the freedom.
Just pick your suppressor, setup your account, and sign a couple emails.
It’s that easy for anyone who lives in the
42 states where silencers are legal.
Our nationwide dealer network of over 6,000 dealers, more than
1,500 Silencer Shop Kiosks, are dedicated to making the process as smooth and simple as possible. We’ve helped hundreds of thousands of gun owners get silencers without the hassle.
And the folks we’ve helped have shared their experieinces. Silencer Shop has over 30,000 reviews on Google, and 52,000+ reviews on TrustPilot, from verified shoppers showing that we provide a service as good as the products we sell. If you want the best silencer and want to get it the best way, Silencer Shop is for you.
Suppressor approvals are as fast as a few days. We are seeing customers receive suppressor approvals between 1 and 21 days on average. These are the fastest times we’ve ever seen, and it has become the new normal. These times have been consistent for over a year now. You can stay up to date on suppressor wait times with our ATF wait time tracker.
Buying a suppressor with Silencer Shop is simple. Just find the silencer you want, add it to your cart, and check out like you would any other online order. From there, our streamlined process takes over — connecting you with your nearest Silencer Shop Dealer and ensuring your paperwork is handled correctly the first time.
Whether you’re new to NFA items or adding to your collection, we guide you every step of the way so you can spend less time worrying about forms and more time enjoying your suppressor.
Add the silencer you want to your cart, choose your local Powered By Silencer Shop dealer for pickup, and check out.
If you’re not sure which silencer is right for you, let us help. Take our suppressor finder quiz or browse our recommendations:
Setting up your profile only takes a few minutes.
Verify, sign, and submit to ATF.
You can always check the current ATF wait times on our site. You’ll be notified by ATF via email when you’re approved, and your new gear is ready for pickup.
Want Silencer information, suppressor news, and 2A pro tips?
Subscribe to the Silencer Shop YouTube Channel.
Suppressor and Silencer are interchangeable terms and have the exact same meaning. Either word is applicable for a device that you attach to the barrel of a firearm that reduces noise and gas when the gun is fired. In this write-up, the words “silencer” and “suppressor” will be used in different instances to communicate the same device.
Buying a suppressor is simple with Silencer Shop. You can get your first silencer in just 3 easy steps.
Not sure which suppressors to buy? You can always
start small and get a 22LR suppressor.
Plus, when you shop at Silencer Shop, you're also supporting your local gun shop.
When you order on silencershop.com and pick it up at the dealer near you, a portion of the proceeds go to that gun shop in your neighborhood. We'll facilitate your order and application accuracy, and your purchase still supports independent gun shops near you.
If you’d like to contact Silencer Shop, we’re here for you! And if you’re wondering how to contact Silencer Shop, we’re available via phone:512-931-4556 Instagram, Twitter/X, and Facebook.
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