The flood gates opened on Jan. 1, 2026, when the cost of an NFA stamp to take ownership of a suppressor dropped to $0. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) reported that in the first three weeks of 2026, 178,000 Form-4s had been submitted for the hearing-healthy devices.
Notably, that number includes enthusiasts who purchased one in the last half of the year but waited until Jan. 1 to submit, leading to an initial spike that saw more than 150,000 applications submitted in just one day. According to the ATF's current processing times page, nearly 650,000 NFA forms had been submitted through the end of February.
To put the increased demand into perspective, from 1968 to 2023, a total of 3 million suppressors had been registered on a BATFE Form 4. Wait times dropped in March of 2024, which resulted in more than 1.5 million purchases through the end of 2025. Just in the first two months of 2026, enthusiasts have submitted applications for nearly half as many NFA items as they had in the entirety of last year.
Clearly, the market is maintaining an unprecedented level. There appears to be no end in sight for this spike, and the industry has quickly responded by increasing selection, services to aid in applying for the mandatory stamp and bolstering inventory.
Potential Choke Points
Not every FFL has an SOT (special occupancy taxpayer), which allows them to operate in the NFA market. According to BATFE, there are approximately 70,000 type 01 (dealers) and 02 (pawn) FFLs active in the country today. Only 12 to 15 percent have an SOT—roughly a maximum of 10,500.
Delays in getting an SOT have also been shortened, but in some areas, it’s difficult to find a nearby retailer currently handling suppressors. That fact is one of the reasons a corner in the industry thrives by offering enthusiasts with the opportunity to purchase muzzle-mounted hearing protection, with a generous selection, conveniently online.
Some, like Silencer Central, make it a one-stop-shopping experience by handling paperwork and more. They are a big reason the suppressor sales spike has yet to fade—and likely won’t anytime soon—despite the relative lack of brick-and-mortar outlets yet to offer the hearing-healthy muzzle devices.
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