Common Questions
The questions that come across a counter most often, with the answers a dealer can give without getting into trouble. Not legal advice — state law varies and the ATF is the authority on federal requirements.
The tax is $0 now — can I just buy a suppressor?
No. The tax on suppressors, SBRs, SBSs and AOWs went to $0 on 1 January 2026, and that is the only thing that changed. The form is still filed, approval still has to come back before the item leaves the shop, and fingerprints, photographs and the background check are all still required.
How long does it take?
Nobody can promise you a date, and any dealer who does is guessing. Removing a $200 barrier from the most popular categories has pushed volume up, and queues respond to volume. What a dealer can give you is a submission date and a straight answer whenever you ask where yours is.
Individual or trust?
Both work. A trust can let more than one person legally possess the item and can simplify what happens to it later; an individual registration is simpler to set up. It is worth a conversation with someone who does this professionally, and it is worth having before the form is filed — changing your mind afterwards means starting over.
Can I take it home while I wait?
No. The item stays with the dealer until the transfer is approved. That is not shop policy, it is the transfer.
Is it legal in my state?
Federal approval does not override state law, and states differ on suppressors, SBRs and machine guns. Check before you pay. Your dealer should be checking too.
Can I travel with it?
Certain NFA firearms need permission to cross state lines, filed on Form 5320.20. Suppressors are treated differently from machine guns and short-barrelled firearms here, so ask before you plan a trip rather than after.
What happens to it when I die?
An NFA firearm passes to an heir on a tax-exempt Form 5. It is worth knowing that before it matters, and it is one of the reasons people choose a trust.
Why does my dealer keep asking for the serial?
Because the approval is tied to one specific item, not to a model. If the serial on the form and the serial in the safe do not match, the transfer does not happen — so it gets checked more than once, on purpose.