Private party suppressors

[Stationary Smell]

What are the rules on buying suppressors through a private party? If someone has a gun and supressor they want to sell, can a person just buy it? And what if it is shipped to an FFL?

 

[Hanzo581]

Um, no, you can't simply buy a suppressor from someone.

https://blog.silencershop.com/sell-silencer/

 

[Telekinesis]

You can buy a suppressor or other NFA weapon from someone BUT the NFA transfer paperwork (a form 4) will still have to be completed and be returned with stamp before the item can change hands. To do this the transaction would go something like this...

• Meet with seller - pay him, give him an extra $200 check for the transfer tax, and fill out your section on the Form 4
• Seller completes his section of the Form 4 and mails it to the NFA branch with the $200 check
• Wait 6-12 months depending on current backlog
• NFA branch sends approved Form 4 to seller
• Seller contacts you and you come by to pick up your suppressor

If you were to use a FFL/SOT as an intermediary, it would be one Form 4 from seller to the FFL/SOT, and then once that's approved, you can do a Form 4 from the FFL/SOT to you. You have to pay the tax both times and you'll have to complete 2 waiting periods. This really is only a viable solution if you're talking about machine guns. When you are already paying $10,000 for a gun, $400 isn't too much more. (note that while dealer to dealer transfers can be completed tax free on a Form 3, individual-to-dealer and dealer-to-individual transfers must be on a Form 4).

In either of these scenarios, you have to place a LOT of trust in the seller because they will have your money for a long time before you get your suppressor. And there's no way that a seller would (or should... I guess they could if they really wanted to) start the transfer process without cash in hand. Of course, the suppressor should be discounted substantially to make it a viable purchase for you, otherwise you should just get a new can. It's a lot of work and trust to put in someone if you're only going to save a little bit of money. You could also look into putting your payment into escrow pending the approval of the transfer. I've heard about people doing that for machine guns.

This is why most people consider suppressors as lifetime purchases. It's just too hard to get rid of them when even if you give them away, the buyer still has to pay a $200 transfer tax.The only used suppressors I've seen actually sell are dealer demo cans (I have 2). To give you an idea of the price discount, my cans were roughly $400 and a $600 can new. I purchased both for $200 each.

 

[Stationary Smell]

Great explanation! I had always wondered how it would work. Thanks!

 

[Sistema1927]

Another reason why we need the Hearing Protection act.

 

[AlexanderA]

Telekinesis explained it perfectly. This is why there is no secondary (individual-to-individual) market for suppressors. Considering the long wait, and the factor of trust, people would rather buy new, from established dealers.

Pretty much the same rationale applies to short-barrel rifles and shotguns. The additional twist there is that the guns can be returned to their normal-barrel configuration (deregistered) and sold for more money than the equivalent SBR/SBS. But then you still have an "orphan" engraving on the receiver, that lowers the value somewhat. (This is why, if you're thinking of eventually selling your SBR/SBS, you should engrave the barrel and not the receiver.)

 

[Arizona_Mike]

Um, no, you can't simply buy a suppressor from someone.

https://blog.silencershop.com/sell-silencer/

Um, yes you can if you are in the same state. Private party to private party Form 4 Transfer.

Mike

PS. Get the money up front!

 

[Arizona_Mike]

I friend of mine "bought" an RDIAS from a guy who sold the same sear to 6 people and then blew his brains out. He never did get the money back.

Mike

 

[Hanzo581]

Um, yes you can if you are in the same state. Private party to private party Form 4 Transfer.

Mike

PS. Get the money up front!

Right, go through all the proper steps and you can. He asked if you could just buy it like you could a normal private firearm sale, which you can't.

 

[grampajack]

If only...

 

[Arizona_Mike]

Right, go through all the proper steps and you can. He asked if you could just buy it like you could a normal private firearm sale, which you can't.

So I read his question as asking if transferring from a private seller required more paperwork than form an FFL (or might be prohibited). The other interpretation seemed too obvious.

Mike

 

[Hanzo581]

So I read his question as asking if transferring from a private seller required more paperwork than form an FFL (or might be prohibited). The other interpretation seemed too obvious.

Mike

I've learned never to assume a question is more complicated than presented. "Just buy it" were his words.

Bear in mind it took me ten seconds to Google the process (first search result showed the whole process) so they already skipped the most obvious step.

 

[wally]

It's a lot of work and trust to put in someone

I think this is a bit over-stated, the can belongs to you once the form-4 is approved, if not transfered to you in a timely manner he's in possession of an illegal (for him) suppressor. As usual, I don't know of any law or regulation to define "timely". That's pretty much why you'd be expected to pay up front as the seller would have little recourse if you refused to pay or claimed you already did.

If the price was low enough I'd not have any real qualms about buying a used suppressor that was a "take apart" design as you could inspect if for damage/abuse. On a non-take apart (many rifle cans) it'd be harder to tell if they did something stupid like shoot corrosive ammo or lead bullets through it. Transferable or not warranty would likely be a bigger factor for me, as Gemtech's warranty has saved me once already -- sometimes stuff just breaks for no apparent reason -- they agreed it shouldn't have broken the way it did and gave me a new one and ate the $200 transfer fee!

 

[Stationary Smell]

Gemtech's warranty has saved me once already -- sometimes stuff just breaks for no apparent reason -- they agreed it shouldn't have broken the way it did and gave me a new one and ate the $200 transfer fee!

Did you have to wait months for the tax stamp again? Or not since it was warranty work?

 

[wally]

Yup, I had the full 6+ month wait since they gave me a new suppressor with a different serial number. I've a letter I've filed with the form 4 of the original attesting to its destruction to ATF specifications. But since is was warranty they could ship it directly to me instead of having to go through a Texas dealer. Trying to make rational sense of the NFA stuff will make you insane.

 

[Carl696]

You can buy a suppressor or other NFA weapon from someone BUT the NFA transfer paperwork (a form 4) will still have to be completed and be returned with stamp before the item can change hands. To do this the transaction would go something like this...

• Meet with seller - pay him, give him an extra $200 check for the transfer tax, and fill out your section on the Form 4
• Seller completes his section of the Form 4 and mails it to the NFA branch with the $200 check
• Wait 6-12 months depending on current backlog
• NFA branch sends approved Form 4 to seller
• Seller contacts you and you come by to pick up your suppressor

If you were to use a FFL/SOT as an intermediary, it would be one Form 4 from seller to the FFL/SOT, and then once that's approved, you can do a Form 4 from the FFL/SOT to you. You have to pay the tax both times and you'll have to complete 2 waiting periods. This really is only a viable solution if you're talking about machine guns. When you are already paying $10,000 for a gun, $400 isn't too much more. (note that while dealer to dealer transfers can be completed tax free on a Form 3, individual-to-dealer and dealer-to-individual transfers must be on a Form 4).

In either of these scenarios, you have to place a LOT of trust in the seller because they will have your money for a long time before you get your suppressor. And there's no way that a seller would (or should... I guess they could if they really wanted to) start the transfer process without cash in hand. Of course, the suppressor should be discounted substantially to make it a viable purchase for you, otherwise you should just get a new can. It's a lot of work and trust to put in someone if you're only going to save a little bit of money. You could also look into putting your payment into escrow pending the approval of the transfer. I've heard about people doing that for machine guns.

This is why most people consider suppressors as lifetime purchases. It's just too hard to get rid of them when even if you give them away, the buyer still has to pay a $200 transfer tax.The only used suppressors I've seen actually sell are dealer demo cans (I have 2). To give you an idea of the price discount, my cans were roughly $400 and a $600 can new. I purchased both for $200 each.

Am I

You can buy a suppressor or other NFA weapon from someone BUT the NFA transfer paperwork (a form 4) will still have to be completed and be returned with stamp before the item can change hands. To do this the transaction would go something like this...

• Meet with seller - pay him, give him an extra $200 check for the transfer tax, and fill out your section on the Form 4
• Seller completes his section of the Form 4 and mails it to the NFA branch with the $200 check
• Wait 6-12 months depending on current backlog
• NFA branch sends approved Form 4 to seller
• Seller contacts you and you come by to pick up your suppressor

If you were to use a FFL/SOT as an intermediary, it would be one Form 4 from seller to the FFL/SOT, and then once that's approved, you can do a Form 4 from the FFL/SOT to you. You have to pay the tax both times and you'll have to complete 2 waiting periods. This really is only a viable solution if you're talking about machine guns. When you are already paying $10,000 for a gun, $400 isn't too much more. (note that while dealer to dealer transfers can be completed tax free on a Form 3, individual-to-dealer and dealer-to-individual transfers must be on a Form 4).

In either of these scenarios, you have to place a LOT of trust in the seller because they will have your money for a long time before you get your suppressor. And there's no way that a seller would (or should... I guess they could if they really wanted to) start the transfer process without cash in hand. Of course, the suppressor should be discounted substantially to make it a viable purchase for you, otherwise you should just get a new can. It's a lot of work and trust to put in someone if you're only going to save a little bit of money. You could also look into putting your payment into escrow pending the approval of the transfer. I've heard about people doing that for machine guns.

This is why most people consider suppressors as lifetime purchases. It's just too hard to get rid of them when even if you give them away, the buyer still has to pay a $200 transfer tax.The only used suppressors I've seen actually sell are dealer demo cans (I have 2). To give you an idea of the price discount, my cans were roughly $400 and a $600 can new. I purchased both for $200 each.

Am I correct that there is a transfer tax between a non dealer to a dealer when selling a surppressor ? Then from dealer to new buyer.

 

[Telekinesis]

Am I correct that there is a transfer tax between a non dealer to a dealer when selling a surppressor ? Then from dealer to new buyer.

Yep. That's what I said in this part of my post:

If you were to use a FFL/SOT as an intermediary, it would be one Form 4 from seller to the FFL/SOT, and then once that's approved, you can do a Form 4 from the FFL/SOT to you. You have to pay the tax both times and you'll have to complete 2 waiting periods. This really is only a viable solution if you're talking about machine guns. When you are already paying $10,000 for a gun, $400 isn't too much more. (note that while dealer to dealer transfers can be completed tax free on a Form 3, individual-to-dealer and dealer-to-individual transfers must be on a Form 4).