In the US, buying a suppressor, typically known as a silencer, entails a authorized course of that features submitting an utility to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and paying a $200 switch tax. This tax cost is usually referred to colloquially as buying a “tax stamp,” which serves as proof of registration and authorized possession. The method additionally requires a background verify and fingerprints.
This obligatory registration course of serves to manage the possession and switch of these things, primarily as a consequence of their potential misuse in prison actions. Traditionally, laws surrounding suppressors have been enacted as a part of the Nationwide Firearms Act of 1934. Whereas the price might sound substantial, authorized possession permits accountable residents to make the most of suppressors for listening to safety throughout taking pictures actions, decreasing noise air pollution, and enhancing accuracy by decreased recoil.
