Last July, President Trump signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” into law, which contained a provision cutting the $200 taxes required to make or purchase silencers (or sound suppressors), short-barreled rifles and shotguns, and other weapons regulated by the National Firearms Act (NFA) — a major win for the gun industry that makes it easier for people to obtain these dangerous items.
The change went into effect on January 1, 2026, and according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the gun industry’s trade association, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) saw “an unprecedented surge” in NFA applications that day. The NSSF says the ATF processed “processed approximately 150,000” online applications on January 1 alone, “compared to a typical daily volume of around 2,500” — representing a staggering 5,900-percent increase.
THE STATE OF NFA APPLICATIONS
The NSSF noted that the ATF’s online “eForms” application system has experienced “glitches and delays” due to the surge, but urged “industry members to remain patient” as the ATF “works through these growing pains.” The NSSF also “strongly encourage[d] all industry members to contact their U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators to advocate for additional funding for ATF. Much of the current disruption stems from outdated and under-resourced IT infrastructure.”
The NSSF originally helped secure funding for the chronically under-resourced ATF to revamp its eForms system, which went live in December 2021 and has since led to faster approvals — and a corresponding spike in silencer sales. Data suggests that most new NFA applications are likely for silencers — devices that muffle the sound of gunfire, making it difficult for bystanders and police to identify that a gun has been fired or where gunshots originate.
The NSSF’s call for additional ATF funding is highly ironic given that the group has also criticized attempts to provide the agency with more resources to inspect gun dealers and stop traffickers, for example. It also puts the NSSF at odds with gun groups like the National Association for Gun Rights and Gun Owners of America, who are actively encouraging gun owners to call their legislators for even more drastic cuts to the ATF.
Despite the surge, applicants have reportedly been approved to own silencers and other NFA items in less than 48 hours. One gun writer noted that the owner of a gun shop in Utah submitted 19 different silencer applications “in the first 93 minutes of 2026,” and his first approval came back in just “31 hours, 19 minutes!” The writer also estimated that another 50,000 applications had been submitted since January 1.
Cashing in on Silencers
In recent days, silencer manufacturers and retailers have celebrated the $0 “tax stamps” on their websites and social media, as the examples below illustrates. In addition to offering financing and free shipping, the companies have streamlined the silencer-buying process by helping customers complete their NFA applications, and will even ship silencers to customers’ doors so they never have to set foot in brick-and-mortar stores.
In December, GrabAGun — an online firearm retailer backed by Donald Trump Jr. — announced that it had entered into a partnership with the Silencer Shop to expand its network of authorized dealers and “deliver…the most comprehensive digital purchasing experience in the industry.” GrabAGun CEO Marc Nemati noted that the “timing is also beneficial given the elimination of the tax stamp that takes effect 1/1/26.” In addition to silencers, GrabAGun sells other NFA items that are now tax free as well, including short-barreled rifles and shotguns.
Finally, several gun makers have begun manufacturing and selling their own silencers in recent years to capitalize on the streamlined NFA application process and Trump tax cuts. The most recent examples of gun makers entering this market segment include Bergara, Diamondback Firearms, and Palmetto State Armory. Dozens of companies are likely to debut new models at the upcoming Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show put on by the NSSF later this month.
Considering the gun industry’s push for more and more silencers, it should come as no surprise that the NSSF recently introduced a new “First Shots” course that introduces new shooters to silencers with classroom and live-fire demonstrations at partner ranges and gun shops. The NSSF states that it will pay host ranges and gun shops $15 for every student that attends and provide “eye and ear protection, targets, ammunition packages for the range demo component,” and other promotional materials.
Additionally, the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP), an organization that primarily hosts shooting matches to “promote excellence in marksmanship and firearms,” has adopted new rules to allow silencers in some rifle competitions — for the first time in its 123-year history. As one gun writer noted, it’s another step toward “the mainstreaming of silencers.”