Unclear on Suppressor requirements

[jp0319]

I have some confusion on Silencer /Suppressors. I read the ATF NFA Book and am even more confused. I would like to get a silencer/Suppressor for my DD M4. By what process do I legally do this? I know only that a tax stamp is required to own it. Do I have to register the rifle, The suppressor, or what. Is this something I should do a trust for? Can someone guide me through this? There seems to be more info out there on purchase/Manufacture of SBRs than Silencers. Help!

[RyanB]

A dealer can explain it best, but here goes: You register the suppressor. First you buy it, either in your name or with a trust or corporation. If you are buying it personally you need a sign off from the Chief of Police or Sheriff, or a DA or judge in your jurisdiction. You send in the Form 4 with a $200 check for the tax stamp, and when the ATF is done with the paperwork it is sent to the dealer and he can release the item to you. I like the trust because you can add people to it. Wife, kid, dad, brother, friend, etc.

[Army Chief]

Just to be clear about all of this, if you purchase a suppressor, then that is the NFA item -- not the rifle or carbine that you choose attach it to. The problem here is that a non-NFA AR must have a 16" barrel*, and by the time you add the supressor, you end up with a somewhat long and unwieldy combination.

The solution for most is to go through a second, separate NFA registration process to create/possess a Short Barreled Rifle (SBR) which effectively means an AR with a barrel length that it something less than the usual 16". Most often, that is usually going to be a 10.5" or 11.5" barrel, which helps keep the overall length down when the suppressor is mounted.

The result is that you end up with a short suppressed carbine which actually consists of two separate NFA items being used together. You register and pay the tax on each item (suppressor, SBR) separately, and each has a unique identity/serial number in the NFA registry.

AC

* or a 14.5" barrel, etc., with a permanently-attached flash suppressor to bring the barrel length to the legal 16" minimum.

[dbrowne1]

You got it.

[CAR-AR-M16]

One more thing. You don't list a location, so you need to make sure your state allows suppressors. Some states do not.