As of October 9, 2026, ATF no longer enforces NFA registration, Form 4 approval, or tax stamps for suppressors. The policy covers every buyer and every dealer nationwide, not only Silencer Shop customers. You still buy from a licensed dealer and pass a NICS background check, and your state’s law still decides whether you can skip registration.

ATF Director Robert Cekada signed the Open Letter the same day. Here’s what changed, what didn’t, and the one decision you can’t undo.

What did ATF’s Open Letter change?

ATF stopped enforcing the NFA’s approval, registration, and tax stamp requirements for suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and any other weapons (AOWs). The policy took effect October 9, 2026, the day ATF published the Open Letter and a set of FAQs.

It follows the Justice Department’s decision not to appeal Silencer Shop Foundation v. ATF. That August 5 judgment protected only the plaintiffs and their members and customers. Attorney General Todd Blanche chose to extend the same treatment to everyone, using the department’s enforcement discretion. We covered that decision in DOJ won’t appeal the NFA ruling.

For a suppressor, that means no ATF approval before a transfer, no entry in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record (NFRTR, ATF’s federal NFA registry), and no federal ban on moving an unregistered suppressor across state lines.

ATF stopped enforcing NFA registration and approval for suppressors on October 9, 2026, for every buyer and every dealer, not only covered customers.

What still applies when you buy a suppressor?

The background check stays. A suppressor is still a firearm under the Gun Control Act, so your dealer completes a Form 4473 and runs a NICS check, the same as for any rifle. Dealers still sell only to residents of their own state unless an exception applies.

Fully automatic firearms and destructive devices didn’t change. Both keep the full NFA process.

Short-barreled rifles and shotguns still need a Form 20 before you take one across state lines, registered or not. Suppressors don’t. That rule comes from a separate federal law the Open Letter leaves in place.

State and local law stays in force too. ATF’s guidance doesn’t override a state that bans suppressors or requires NFA registration, and a dealer can’t transfer a suppressor in violation of state law.

You still pass a NICS background check, state law still applies, and fully automatic firearms keep the full NFA process.

Should you still register your suppressor?

Skip it if your state and your dealer allow it. Registration is now voluntary. ATF still runs the NFRTR and still approves NFA forms for anyone who wants to register, but in a free state, federal law no longer makes you.

Two things decide your path: your state and your dealer.

Each dealer picks which process to run, and some will keep filing NFA paperwork while the industry adjusts. Call yours before you count on walking out with a suppressor.

State law still decides whether you can own a suppressor at all. Check where your state lands on our suppressor legal states map, and our Silencer Shop ruling explainer covers how the court case got us here.

Registration is voluntary now. In a free state, skip it if your dealer offers the 4473 path. In an NFA state, state law still requires it.

What are the risks of skipping NFA registration?

Skipping registration is the faster path, and ATF’s own FAQ spells out three tradeoffs.

Removing a registered suppressor is permanent. If you already own a registered suppressor, you can ask ATF to take it off the registry. ATF says it can’t be re-registered later unless the Attorney General declares an amnesty. Leave it registered unless you’re sure.

Moving can change your status. ATF says it can’t tell you whether a state treats an unregistered suppressor as lawfully held. If you might move to an NFA state, a voluntary registration at $0 keeps that door open.

The policy can be reversed. ATF says enforcement could resume if Congress restores the tax, a court reverses the injunction, or the policy is rescinded. Federal law generally doesn’t allow registering an NFA item after the fact, outside an amnesty.

Skip registration if your state and dealer allow it. Keep an existing registration, and register voluntarily if you might move to an NFA state.

Whichever path you take, start with the right suppressor

The Reticent 22 is the lightest and quietest full-size 22LR suppressor and a great first suppressor for any 1/2×28 rimfire host. The Vanquish 22 is an integrally suppressed Ruger 10/22 barrel that installs in 5 minutes and upgrades both accuracy and sound. Ask your dealer which path they run, then take yours home.

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Frequently asked questions