The $0 Federal Stamp and the simplest way to buy a suppressor
December 31, 2025Posted by derrek.sigler
Have you heard the news that the Federal Tax Stamp for suppressors is going to $0? You likely have. What does that mean? In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t change much as far as the process goes for buying a suppressor. We wish it did, but it doesn’t. Let’s take a deeper look at what the $0 Federal Tax Stamp means for you.
Still part of the NFA
As much as we’d all love them to not be, suppressors are still part of the National Firearms Act, making them regulated by the ATF. This means you still have to go through the entire process to apply for approval, go through the background checks and submit the Form 4 to buy a commercially made suppressor from Silencer Central, or any other suppressor retailer. Now – for the sake of this article – We're just going to talk about Form 4 submissions for buying suppressors.
Up until now, the Federal Stamp that you are still required to obtain for owning a suppressor would include a $200 fee that the ATF forced us to collect and submit to them. As part of a Federal budget from the summer of 2025, the Federal Stamp fee has gone to $0 as of January 1, 2026.
You still have to go through the entire application and submission process as before, but now, you don’t have to pay the $200 fee to the government. Due in large part, to the efforts of Silencer Central and our direct involvement with the ATF in recent years, the approval process is now MUCH faster than ever in history. We have streamlined the process and now approvals tend to happen in a matter of days, to even hours.
Expect delays
We would like to add that we expect there to be a serious backlog and delays as we jump into the new year. There are a lot of people that have pending submissions, mostly from other retailers who didn’t do what Silencer Central did. Remember, we paid the Tax Stamp on a lot of suppressors during the last half of 2025 so our customers didn’t have to wait.
We know that the ATF is going to get hit with thousands of submissions on January 2, 2026. This is going to cause a backlog and a delay in getting approvals done. There isn’t much we can do about that. If you’re one of our customers, make sure you check your Customer Portal for the latest updates as your application moves through the process. The ATF told us they are going to move through the backlog as quickly as they can.
The simplest way to buy a suppressor
What can you expect going forward? Suppressor ownership is now easier than ever before and the simplest way to buy a suppressor is through Silencer Central. Why is that? That's an easy question to answer. At Silencer Central, you get:
Shop-at-home convenience
The most streamlined application process in the industry
Customer service before, during and after the sale
The best selection of award-winning suppressors
Your suppressor shipped to your door
Suppressors are legal in 42 states!
Buying a suppressor now means there is no longer an unavoidable tax. Yes, there is still some government interaction involved with you buying a suppressor. We would love it if they removed them from the NFA entirely. That isn’t happening, at least not yet, but we will continue to work with the ATF and the National Shooting Sports Foundation toward that end.
You can also expect more options for suppressors in 2026! This is the best news to come from this entire scenario. More companies are jumping in with new suppressors, and we have been hands on with quite a few of them. We will do our best to offer the biggest selection of suppressors for sale to you, including the newest models from all the top brands.
You can also expect the best customer service for your suppressor buying experience. This means actual people who will answer the phone or respond to your email! And of course, we will continue to ship your suppressor right to your front door.
Ready to buy a suppressor?
Click below to shop the best brands in suppressors. If you need help, we can guide you through the process and our customer service team will walk you though the entire approval process, making sure your paperwork is accurate and submitted correctly. We appreciate your business and look forward to serving you in 2026 and beyond.
Yes, suppressors are legal in 42 states. You can check here to see if your state is part of the list.
Yes, the ATF Tax Stamp is still a requirement to own a suppressor. This includes an application process. The only thing that has changed is there is no longer a $200 fee.
Yes! You will no longer have to pay the $200 tax fee the federal government collected from each suppressor sale.
Shop Silencer Central for the simplest way to own a suppressor. We have online shopping convenience, the best process for paperwork and shipping to your door. It does not get any easier!
While many suppressors can be used on several different caliber firearms, we have some specific models that can make your shooting more enjoyable. Pick the caliber that you have in mind. If you don’t see your caliber, pick one close to it to see our recommendations.
