Many people still think it is ILLEGAL to own
Short Barreled Shot Guns, Machine Guns, or Silencers.
You just need to:
PAY Uncle Sam, do some paperwork,
and WAIT, and wait, and wait!
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Check out
Dave's
World
for upcoming SMG Matches across the US
Albany Rifle & Pistol Club
National
Registry of Places to Shoot
QUOTE from Advanced Armament (updated)
"Silencers are legal for civilian ownership within 35 states"
The Legalities Of Silencer Ownership Contrary to popular belief, silencers
are legal to own under federal law. There are, however, 16 states, plus the
District of Columbia , that prohibit the civilian ownership of silencers.
At this time, the following states allow private ownership of silencers: AL,
AR, AK, AZ, CO, CT, FL, GA, ID, IN, KY, LA, ME, MD, MS, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NC,
OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WV, WI, and
WY. Of the sixteen states which do not allow civilian ownership, CA, IA, KS,
MA, MO, and MI allow class 3 dealers and class two manufacturers to possess
silencers.
Silencers, like machine-guns, are proscribed under the National Firearms Act
(NFA) of 1934, and are regulated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and
Firearms. The procedure for owning a silencer may seem daunting at first, but
actually requires less paperwork than buying an automobile. The buyer then has
the chief law enforcement officer (Sheriff, Chief of Police, head of state
police agency, district attorney, a judge with the power of arrest, or any other
law enforcement officer approved for this procedure by the National Firearms Act
branch of the BATF) sign the rear of the Form 4 attesting the prospective
purchaser does not possess a criminal record and is not wanted. The two
fingerprint cards must be completed and signed by a law enforcement agency. The
completed paperwork is then sent to the Department of the Treasury with a check
or money order for $200.00.
The $200.00 is known as a transfer tax, as it must be paid each time ownership
of the silencer is "transferred" (in this case, the dealer to the
prospective purchaser). As long as the silencer is owned by the same person, the
tax need not be paid again. Only if the owner sells it will a new transfer tax
need to be paid. An owner may will his silencer to a lawful heir, with no tax
incurred.
Once the paper work is submitted, it normally takes less than sixty days to receive the approved, stamped paperwork from NFA Branch. It is only upon the return of the approved paperwork that the dealer can allow the prospective purchaser to take possession of his new silencer. A copy of the approved paperwork must accompany the silencer at all times (the original should be stored in a safe deposit box).
Silencers can be transported to other states which allow their ownership, but to transport a silencer into one of the sixteen states which prohibit private ownership can subject the owner to serious state felony charges.