The "Big Beautiful Bill" and Suppressors - What We Currently Know
- hiddenvalleytactic
- Jul 4
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 4
In the world of firearm legislation, few topics stir as much buzz—and hope—as suppressor reform. After years of regulatory red tape, shifting narratives, and growing public support for hearing protection, the long-awaited "Big Beautiful Bill" has finally taken center
stage. Designed to remove the outdated and burdensome suppressor tax, this bill represents a major leap forward for gun owners, sportsmen, and advocates of the second amendment.
Whether you're a seasoned suppressor owner or someone just getting into the NFA world, this legislation could be a game-changer. But what exactly does the bill propose? When does the tax go away? And how will it reshape the suppressor landscape in America?
Let’s break it down and let you know everything that we know today.
At the time of this writing, the bill currently sits on President Trump's desk waiting to be signed. Although this bill has not yet taken effect, we have been receiving tons of messages asking "what does this mean?" or "when can I get my tax-free suppressor?". Lets answer both of those questions with what we currently know.
"What does this mean?"
In the early forms of the Big Beautiful Bill, suppressors and short-barreled firearms were slated to be removed from the NFA entirely, meaning they would not require the enhanced background check, photos, fingerprints or registration; however, the bill sitting on the President's desk does not have that language at all. Instead, the current bill only has the removal of the $200 tax stamp associated with the transfer of Suppressors, SBR's, SBS's and AOW's.
Several gun rights associations have taken this opportunity to file lawsuits to permanently remove these items from the purview of the NFA. Some may see this as overkill since "they got most of what they wanted", but the fact of the matter is that the registration is what most 2A advocates wanted to remove. It is true that the $200 tax is burdensome to those trying to exercise their second amendment rights, but there is a deeper thread here that many seem to be missing: the NFA only exists because of the tax—not the other way around. The courts in United States v. Miller (1939) deemed the NFA and the associated transfer taxes as constitutional since congress "has the authority to collect tax". Without the tax, the NFA is just a gun registry, which we all know is unconstitutional. This is the basis of the legal arguments put forth in these newly submitted cases.
"When can I get my tax-free suppressor?"
The answer to this question as of the writing of this post is unclear. Many sources are saying as soon as 90 days after the bill is signed by the president; others are saying as late as January 1st 2026. If the 90 day theory is true, we can see tax free suppressors as soon as October 2nd, 2025. If not, we will have to wait until the new year to start purchasing suppressors.
"Are suppressors going to become hard to get when the bill takes effect?"
The answer to this question is fairly complicated. There are mixed opinions out there as to whether or not this bill is going to have a large affect on suppressor sales and, therefore, suppressor availability. Some are of the opinion that the $200 for most people purchasing a $600 to $2000 suppressor is not major factor in a decision to buy a suppressor, and that the suppressor market will not change much once the bill takes effect. While it is true that the tax stamp is only a (relatively) small percentage of a suppressor, we have a couple other pieces of evidence that are contrary to that opinion.
Suppressor sales soared when eForms was first introduced in late 2021, reducing availability of suppressors.
Suppressor sales soared in early 2024 when suppressor approval times on eForms decreased from ~250 days all the way down to 30 days or less (in some cases 24 hours!).
Braced firearm registrations were at an all-time high when ATF offered the amnesty period accompanied by a free tax stamp.
The most notable of these three scenarios is the second one; during this time, big names like Silencer Shop, Silencer Central, and others has pages of "out of stock...back order available" suppressors. For us dealers, distributors had few in-stock suppressors to choose from and some manufactures had lead times of up to two months for suppressors because of the demand. Now combine the fast approval time with a free tax stamp and there is a recipe for suppressor shortage.
Another thing to consider is eForm 4 approval times. We are currently at an all time low approval time of less than a week. When the bill passes, there may be an initial influx of eForm 4 applications, causing the wait times to increase dramatically (30 days - 150 days). This is of course assuming none of the major lawsuits don't knock the NFA registrations down completely.
"What should I do now?"
Well, it all depends! If you have a decent collection of suppressors and are not in dire need of a new one, waiting until the tax is removed probably wouldn't hurt. If you have your eyes on your very first suppressor and still want to get first dibs on it, you may even want to buy it now before the potential shortage begins at the expense of the $200 stamp to avoid shortages or fast approval times.
Final Thoughts
This bill will most likely have some effect on the suppressor market and approval times, but nobody will fully know until the $200 tax is fully removed. Here at Hidden Valley Tactical, we are offering customers the opportunity to reserve a suppressor until the Big Beautiful Bill takes effect to avoid suppressor shortages, price hikes, or straight up scalping. Use the link below to take advantage of this offer!
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