The buying process, current laws, real wait times, and expert guidance. Nothing loud, except the facts.
Step-by-step walkthrough of the purchase process. Requirements, paperwork, individual vs. trust filing, and realistic timelines.
02The science of sound reduction. What they actually do, realistic expectations for noise levels, and the hearing protection benefits.
03Legal status in all 50 states plus D.C. Ownership rules, hunting regulations, and state-specific requirements.
04The $200 tax stamp was eliminated January 1, 2026. What changed, what stayed the same, and what it means for buyers.
Yes, in 42 states. Prohibited in CA, DE, HI, IL, MA, NJ, NY, RI, and D.C.
eForm 4 approvals are currently averaging days to a few weeks. Down from 9-15 months historically.
25-35 dB reduction. Still loud (like a nailgun), but at hearing-safe levels. Not movie quiet.
The average runs $400-$1,200. Rimfire starts around $300, pistol $500-900, rifle $500-1,200.
Suppressors are legal to own in 42 states and prohibited in eight plus the District of Columbia. That one sentence hides most of what actually matters, which is why this site exists.
Federal law is only half the question. Fifteen states tie lawful possession to federal NFA registration or compliance, and the wording differs from state to state. Ohio requires the suppressor to appear in the national firearms registration and transfer record by name. Pennsylvania gives you a defense you have to prove at trial by a preponderance of the evidence. Nevada puts the burden of proving federal authorization on you in the text of the statute itself. Twenty-seven states have no federal hook at all. We keep a page for each state and quote the statute rather than paraphrase it, so you can check the source yourself.
The two diverge more often than people expect, and it is the field most likely to put you in front of a warden. Connecticut lets you own a suppressor and bans hunting with one outright in a single sentence of statute. Georgia restricts suppressor hunting by land status, not by species. Louisiana permits it only for an enumerated list of game. A page that tells you ownership is legal and stops there is not telling you enough.
A federal court has enjoined several NFA registration requirements for the parties in one case. It is not a repeal of the NFA, it is not nationwide, and it does not touch state law. Some dealers now transfer suppressors on a Form 4473 instead of a Form 4. A 4473 is a receipt in a dealer bound book, not a registration, and nobody can tell you today how an unregistered suppressor gets unwound if a higher court steps in. We explain the whole thing here.
Silencers.how is operated by Capitol Armory, an NFA dealer. Links to their catalog are marked as sponsored in the page source. The legal analysis on this site cites primary sources, meaning state codes, court opinions, and agency regulations, so you can verify it rather than take our word for it.
Capitol Armory is the nation's largest NFA dealer with expert staff and direct-to-door delivery.