Buying a Suppressor
BY Herschel Smith
1 year, 6 months ago
F&S.
Before getting into how to buy a suppressor, you need to understand the difference in types of ownership. You can own a suppressor either as an individual or as a trust. As an individual owner, you can use the suppressor and you can let others use the suppressor, but you must be with anyone else anytime they have the suppressor or are using it. If you don’t have any friends—and some of you don’t, I’ve seen your Facebook profiles—individual ownership is fine. Well, except when you die, because then your estate is left in possession of an unregistered NFA item. That’s a problem for whoever executes your will.
If you purchase a suppressor as a trust, any co-trustee can be in procession of and use the suppressor just as you would. Also, if you’re smart enough to designate a “beneficiary” then that person simply assumes the trust when you go to the great shooting range in the sky.
The article goes on to explain the relative ease of filling out paperwork these days. Around here I know there are FFLs with kiosks which assist the buyer, and there are ways to get assistance with setting up trusts. Every gun show has cards for lawyers in the area who want to charge money for setting up firearms trusts.
Do any readers own suppressors, and if so, what have you fund to be the best way to purchase and own them?
I find it difficult to dump that much money into something when that something could be a relatively nice firearm instead, and with use of electronic hearing protection, the noise problem goes away (for the most part, except for interference with your cheek weld).
On June 14, 2023 at 11:02 pm, Chris Mallory said:
I have one. I use it more to not bother the neighbors than to keep from needing hearing protection. A suppressed round draws less attention.
On June 14, 2023 at 11:20 pm, OG said:
I have two cans – one for my AR 15 and one for my 6.5 creed. Still a little noisy but much better on the old ears. You have piqued my interest with the trust idea. Going to look into it and see if I can get a transfer.
On June 15, 2023 at 5:35 am, Joe Blow said:
Dad died last year, sister was executor, still…
Do you have a few nfa items? Want to make sure ______ receives it after you pass?
Do your survivors a huge favor, and get a trust. They will be dealing with A LOT, and ATF paperwork and pricky agents just aren’t needed at that time. Do them a favor, the same guy who handles your will can handle this too.
One suppressor, kids don’t care about it? Sell the thing before you die.
On June 15, 2023 at 6:53 am, Pat H. Bowman said:
I own one in a trust. Silencer Shop makes it easy. I use it on almost every gun I own. Makes shooting so much nicer. My 6 Creed RPR sounds like a 22 with minimal ear pro. Even the gas guns are tamed quite a bit. Would recommend.
On June 15, 2023 at 8:52 am, Dirk said:
I own many many cans, all my long range rigs have a dedicated cans. We went with the Trust, just to keep the Feds out of most of our business.
Sadly several years ago the feds changed the rules. I’d like to add family members to the trust and purchase maybe five more cans.
ATF tell me IF I want to add people OR more cans, everybody already on the Trust, anybody new would be required to provide finger prints and subject themselves to a background check. I’ll not comply with this new nonsense.
Things could have changed, ive not looked into adding family or more cans in a couple years. I doubt ATF would do the right thing and honor my Trusts Origional rules, the rules that we in place for the past fifty or so years.
ATF just can’t seem to figure out they are not the shot callers, law makers, but the enforcement arm.
So to answer the question, I used an attorney he’s a relative so zero costs. He’s also a Notary, To create the trust. I do have trustee designator, Actually three a line of family members. My wife my son, my great grand son.
I got in the weeds on this legalese after the theft of the election. I went thru our family trust with a fine tooth comb, I was going to war, did not want to have to worry about my family receiving my multiple retirements and investments. Wanted every Penny locked down tight.
My trust is extensive, I really thought us patriots were going to war with the communists in DC, for me more likely the Communist running my State of OREGON, up in Salem.
No worries, life’s good, fly fishing even better. My shits in order, my gear stowed for that rainy day.
Dirk
On June 15, 2023 at 9:13 am, BRVTVS said:
An alternate approach is a long barrel shooting a subsonic heavy projectile. A 240 grain 44 special, 158 grain 38 special, or handloaded 500gr 45-70 out of a 24+ inch barrel is a lot quieter than your typical rifle.
On June 15, 2023 at 10:32 am, Joe Blow said:
The day is coming Dirk, the day is coming.
Better to be a lot early than a moment too late.
On June 15, 2023 at 10:48 am, mark 82 said:
Trusts;
Dont use the attorney down the street. Even if he knows trusts, NFA Trusts are different and you’ll wind up with a hot mess. Find an NFA Trust guy.
“one shot” Trusts are a very special case that the vendor cant even understand or explain. Essentially they make it easy and fast to purchase an NFA item. That benefits whom? The seller, not necessarily you. You’ll wind up with multiple trusts that cant be used for additional items. Pass.
Do a search, theres a guy who specializes in NFA Trusts online. Less than $100 and done in less than an hour. And his Trusts allow you to add AND remove Responsible Parties at will, which helps with the above mentioned problem of additional purchases requiring pics and prints from everybody. Going hunting? Add your hunting buddy for the week so you dont violate possesion rules. Cheap. easy, fast, flexible. And no, schedule A’s are not required. The sharp attorney down the street probably wont understand that.
On June 15, 2023 at 2:03 pm, MTHead said:
A trust will also allow you to add your “pistol” as an SBR. Not sure if that’s free at this point?
But it keeps you legal for the time being.
If it gets all turned back to “normal”, and pistols become all good again. One can always just swap everything over to a new lower. Throw the SBR lower in the safe. And go about the world without all the SBR restrictions.
Just a thought if you already have a trust going.
On June 15, 2023 at 3:15 pm, Heywood said:
The trust is the way to go! I am more “seasoned” than my nephew, and he is the one who is going to take ownership of my firearms whe I pass, so we set up a trust to make the process seamless. We found one online followed the directions, had a lawyer friend take a look, and we are good to go.
On June 16, 2023 at 1:27 pm, Ozark Redneck said:
We used the NFA trust also, with me as the trustee (settlor) and my son as the co-trustee, both have copies of all the paperwork, both fingerprinted, etc and have full access to all the NFA items in the trust. My wife is the successor trustee who can legally dispose of the items in the trust if both myself and my son are deceased. We set up the trust with the help of a gunshop class-3 dealer who had a lawyer on retainer, later we used Silencer Central to add items to the trust.
On June 16, 2023 at 3:35 pm, ambiguousfrog said:
Trust makes it easier. Not sure i like the digitizing of all this, but went through a company in Texas that has an FFL in Georgia. Self fingerprinted, paid the tax stamp, and purchase their trust that guides you through it. A one stop shop. If I want another in the future I got to the same place with less to do. And be able to add to existing trust. Took about 3 months from start to finish. Having FFL presence in my state allowed it shipped to my door versus going to local gun shop and being charged there for transfer. They want to make it easier for you, it makes business sense.
On June 17, 2023 at 12:20 pm, Gil56 said:
Picked up my first can when I couldn’t hear hits on steel plates past 150 yds with earpro on. Now have dedicated cans for all my rifles. All of them are in a trust with my boy as beneficiary- he’s not fingerprinted or photo’d yet but when the time comes it will only cost $5 per can vs. $200. The difference in situational awareness in being able to hear everything around you without earpro on is well worth the hassle and or expense. Just get one 30 cal can to run on anything up to 300 Win Mag and you’ll be good to go
On June 17, 2023 at 7:08 pm, Steve Miller said:
I have 5 or 6 of them actually. After the first one the FFLs added the kiosk where filing is pretty durn quick however the wait (promised to be shorter) was as long or longer than before. My QDL suppressor (Barrett) is probably my most prized one. After that my Bowers Vers 50 for my Big Horn Armory AR-10 chambered in 500 Automax
On June 17, 2023 at 7:16 pm, Steve Miller said:
I should add I have a trust for my suppressor purchases and with the final suppressor purchase the ATF of course changed things – this occurred while I was waiting to be informed by the FFL that the ATF had approved said purchase. THIS change involved something they termed a “responsible person” and was targeted at trusts like mine. All these freaking hoops for a muffler???? I had to add a second trustee to my trust so, in choosing my wife for such, this meant taking her to get fingerprinted, a passport type photo and such. AND this happened during the crapola ergo local PD had shuffled off their fingerprinting to the county then the county said they shuffled it off to the state patrol and finally it was the state patrol that told me a private company was handling all fingerprinting and related services. Criminy. At least at that point I really had only 2-3 more weeks to wait – which is what the FFL had estimated it would take after I filed everything for the second person.
And these additional requirements were made known to me after I had already waited a year to pick up my suppressor from the FFL.