The overall NFA market is thriving. Specifically, the silencer market has exploded in the post-January 1st, $0 tax stamp world the Big Beautiful Bill delivered to the American people.
Every FFL in the country has felt the effects of the Trump Slump 2.0. The NICS data doesn't lie. Every month shows a decrease in background checks compared to the year prior. The one sub-category of firearms (YES, we know silencers should NOT be considered firearms, we agree completely) that were not down in 2025, was silencers.
The past several years of short wait times and the supply chain catching up to demand have produced unprecedented growth in the silencer market in 2024 and 2025.
Using ATF Form-4s as the source of truth for this growth, the market since 2023 has more than doubled.
Silencers Submitted on Form-4s (These are rounded numbers):
• 2023 – 349,000
• 2024 – 750,000
• 2025 – over 800,000
Keep in mind, from 1968 – 2023 3 million silencers had been registered with ATF on a Form-4. Wait times dropped in March of 2024 resulting in over 1.5 million silencers purchased and submitted to ATF on a Form-4 through the end of 2025.
According to ATF at SHOT Show, in the first 3 weeks of 2025, 178,000 Form-4s had been submitted for silencers. That number, of course, did include those consumers who purchased a silencer throughout the last 5 – 6 months of the year and chose to wait until Jan. 1st to submit. However, after that initial surge, sales of silencers remain stronger than ever. A conservative estimate, based on form-4s stabilizing after the initial spike at about ½ the spike rate, would put approximately 1.5 – 1.6 million form-4s for silencers submitted in 2026.
As of this article, the frenzy in the suppressor market is maintaining an unprecedented level. There appears to be no end in sight for this spike, and the industry is ready to handle the volume from a supply chain perspective with more inventory than ever available!
The number of FFLs that have their SOT (special occupancy taxpayer) allowing them to operate in the NFA market, is fractional compared to the entire market of FFLs.
According to ATF, there are approximately 70,000 type 01 (dealers) and 02 (pawn) FFLs active in the country today. Only 12-15% have their SOT. Thousands of dealers are fighting to remain viable in a down firearm market and are ignoring the silencer and overall NFA market that can carry their business through the lull of Trump Slump 2.0.
Don't let this be you and your FFL. The application process is simple, the turnaround time for your SOT is fast (usually a couple of weeks) and there is no time like the present to get into the game.
First step, step into the suppressor and larger NFA market, and do so quickly. Your next step is to bring your business into the 21st century by going completely digital with your regulatory paperwork. If you are still on paper, your next step is to move your business to electronic Bound Book and electronic 4473 software. The transition is easy, and you will wonder how you managed the paperwork manually once you are digital.
Step three – go fully digital and store your 4473s digitally. No more paper, no more boxes, no more dust. Evict the ATF from your FFL, and use that space to grow your business, create a suppressor cave, and take full advantage of this growth market.
We are here to help, click here and we will get your started on your journey to being fully digital.