Pending legislation in the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee could abolish the $200 tax stamp on suppressors while keeping the rest of the NFA requirements in place.
The reconciliation bill totals nearly 400 pages and features more than 150 separate sections with suggested reforms of the U.S. tax code.
One of those sections targets the National Firearms Act — specifically the $200 tax stamp required to own a suppressor — removing that tax.
However, the rest of the NFA requirements would remain in place, meaning that gun owners would still need to undergo the enhanced background check, registration, and paperwork associated with buying or transferring a suppressor.
It is also important to note that gun owners building their own suppressors would still be subject to the $200 fee via Form 1.
House Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith (MO-08) said the reconciliation bill will ultimately help Americans.
“It puts the interests of low-income, working families ahead of the wealthy by expanding tax relief to those who need it the most, including the President’s priorities of no tax on tips and overtime pay and additional relief for America’s seniors,” Smith said, addressing the sweeping reform.
“This bill delivers on what Americans voted for with President Trump’s promise to put America First – with tax policies that reward hard work, bring jobs back home, increase opportunity, and rebuild the economy for the working class.”
Though a small win for suppressor advocates, some activists say the bill doesn’t go far enough.
“This isn’t a compromise, it’s a betrayal,” Erich Pratt, Senior Vice President of Gun Owners of America, said in a statement.
“The House Ways and Means Committee chose to leave unconstitutional registration and taxes in place even though they had a clear path to repeal them. GOA made it crystal clear that full deregulation of suppressors and protection for brace owners was achievable under reconciliation. Lawmakers knew it, and they chose political convenience over principle. Gun owners won’t forget this.”
GOA said the only path forward is to dismantle the NFA.
The National Firearms Act became law in 1934 and covered a variety of items, including silencers. It required enhanced backgrounds and a $200 fee. The NFA was updated in 1986 with the Firearm Owners’ Protection Act, which amended the NFA and expanded the definition of silencer to include silencer parts and other items intended to be used to assemble or create a silencer.
Suppressor advocates like the American Suppressor Association have long called for the complete removal of suppressors from the NFA, arguing that suppressors not only protect hearing but also make shooting sports more accessible.
ASA is encouraging suppressor owners to contact the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee and ask them to add Section 2 of the Hearing Protection Act to the tax reform — effectively removing suppressors from under the purview of the NFA.
“Every law-abiding American should have the right to protect their hearing while exercising their inalienable Second Amendment rights without having to pay a $200 tax,” the ASA said in a statement. Â
“The American Suppressor Association needs your help to make sure members of Congress and the House Ways & Means Committee know that millions of law-abiding gun owners expect them to remove suppressors entirely from the NFA by including Section 2 of the Hearing Protection Act in reconciliation. Every call and email counts, so make your voice heard today!”
Do you own a suppressor? Let us know in the comments below. For more on what’s happening in the gun world, check out our News Category.
Additional Resources
- Understanding the National Firearms Act
- FOPA: Understanding the Firearms Owners’ Protection Act
- How to Complete ATF eForms for NFA Items
- ATF Forms Explained: A Guide to Common Form Types
- SHUSH Act
- Best AR-15 Suppressors
- Best 9mm & .45 ACP Suppressors
- Best .30 Cal Suppressors
- Best Suppressor Covers
- Gun Owners of America
- U.S. House Ways and Means Committee
- American Suppressor Association
- Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives: NFA
3 Leave a Reply
"Shall not be infringed"?
Just fill out forms and pay taxes to an agency that is unconstitutional. Or buy a hunk of plastic, have a swat team shoot your dog and lawfare non-violent people because of illegal database collections instead of carrying out risky arrests of actual criminals.
Congress is afraid to do anything that will take away their good old boy get rich club.
I am not sure why some consider this a betrayal. It is a budget bill, not a firearms bill. They removed a punitive tax from a firearms accessory. As for dismantling, repealing, or hamstringing the NFA of 1934, This will require a bill of its own, or perhaps some action from the Supreme Court. I presently own a Rugged Oculus silencer for 22 LR. I do plan to buy at least two additional silencers in different calibers. Yes, I paid the $200 tax. The thing is, back when the law was passed $200 was a LOT of money. Today, it is a week's worth of groceries or maybe a night out. I made my purchase through a local dealer that has a kiosk system for doing the photo and fingerprints. The process was easy. I got my silencer within a few days. Not too long ago, this was a much more difficult process with wait times of months. Fingerprints required a trip to the local police station, the photograph meant a trip to a place that did passport photos, and the few dealers that processed these orders were not always as helpful as they could be. I am awaiting the passage of this bill, if it passes intact, to purchase my additional silencers. It would be wonderful of FA weapons would also see an ease in restrictions, but baby steps. Incidentally, my home state of Wisconsin has rescinded the decades long ban of switchblades. I now own several. Things change and you sometimes have to settle for what is possible. There are always those who wish to rule, and they always manage to find people who wish to be ruled.
I live in one of the dirty dozen (wa) and still waiting for any legislation that would actually help lawful gun owners in our state come down from the fed….i still can’t even buy a magpul sga stock for a mossberg 500.