January 25, 2023. Based on conversations with ATF representatives at SHOT Show 20,23, it appears that there are now more than 3,600,000. Registered suppressors (silencers) in the USA. Gun Journalist Dean Weingarten reports that there were 2,042,719. As of 2020, there were 2,664,774 silencer tax stamps in the USA. From 2019 to 2020, the increase was 622 055 Since 2020, the number of legal silencing devices in the United States has not changed. It is now 2023. Representatives at the briefing answered a correspondent’s question about whether the numbers represented a one-million increase in legal silencers between 2020 and 2022. They stated that the number was reasonable accurate. That would mean the number of legal silencers/suppressors in the United States now exceeds 3.6 million in year 2023.Procedure for Obtaining a Suppressor
In 42 U.S. States, suppressors are legal now. A $200 Tax Stamp is required to obtain a suppressor. To be eligible to buy a suppressor, you must pass a background check by the BATFE, pay a $200 Transfer Tax, and meet age requirements. (SEE ALL Requirements). A suppressor can be used for hunting in most, but not all, of these states. California, Delaware and Hawaii are the eight states that prohibit civilian suppressor ownership. READ THE FULL ARTICLE ON GunsAmerica Digest. Expect delays on Form 4 Request for Supressor Permits
SHOT Show presented the NFA processing figures for the three fiscal years ending September 30, 2022. Most of these applications were for suppressors using ATF Form 4. This huge increase in NFA form 4 applications for suppressors means that suppressor applications can expect significant delays in processing. A slide show from the ATF showed that Form 4 processing takes on average 270 days for the electronic form and 315 days for paper forms. This is more than 10 months! Dean Weingarten noted: “The presentation made a strong case that the NFA division at the ATF was overwhelmed with NFA applications, leading t o significant wait times to process those applications. The NFA division is under great stress when it comes to processing NFA forms quickly, particularly Form 4. The $200 tax on NFA applications is not paid to the ATF. The money goes directly into the general fund. The NFA cannot therefore hire more people to process additional forms. “Read Dean Weingarten’s story on Ammoland.com. Dean Weingarten has more information on his GunWatch website. (C)2023 Dean Weingarten: Permission is granted to share when this notice and link have been included.
