Government is rarely efficient, but when it happens, it is always a refreshing surprise.
At year’s end, I made the decision to buy and then apply for the transfer of a firearms silencer.
So did thousands — and perhaps tens of thousands — of gun owners and hunters in 42 states.
That’s because a federal law change on Jan. 1 eliminated the $200 tax on silencers (also known as suppressors or cans), a transfer tax on the books since 1934.
I found a gun shop well-stocked with silencers, but more importantly, staffed with knowledgeable employees who could answer my many questions about these mystical devices, and who also had an electronic system to submit my paperwork, fingerprints and mug shot to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Professional Firearm Services in Fond du Lac had everything I needed, and their patient staff fielded all my questions, both for my own silencer and my stories. They also warned me that the paperwork line was growing for submission to ATF’s new and improved computer system, which briefly shut down for the upgrade just before they opened the electronic floodgates on Jan. 1.
Shop owner Dominic Eatherton said it was possible that most or even all of his nearly 100 applicants submitting Form 4 would get approved in days, but he also warned that it could be weeks. A few years ago, applicants were waiting up to 14 months for approval.
I was really in no hurry, and remembering the previous federal computer fiasco for Obamacare (Healthcare.gov) exceeded $2 billion and never worked well, I didn’t want to hold my breath.
I was shocked to find my transfer approval in my Jan. 4 emails. At that point, I had to drive back to the shop and then fill out the transfer paperwork, which is essentially the same paperwork as buying a firearm. (No, I am not a drug addict. No, I never renounced my citizenship and no, I am not a convicted felon.) Those who have never bought a gun from a gun dealer don’t realize the paperwork involved and the idiotic questions I have answered dozens of times since the Gun Control Act of 1968.
I’ve never been good at planning ahead, but when buying a suppressor, it’s good to think about what firearms you may want to quiet with the same device.
Dominic and his staff helped me decide on a .358-caliber Rex Silentium, a Montana-made device that can be used on AR-15 and other threaded-barrel .223/5.56 rifles, as well as my .308 threaded-barrel Glenfield bolt-action rifle and my semi-auto Ruger PC Carbine in 9mm. I could also use it on some 9mm pistols, but I need a special adaptor if the semi-auto barrel slants.
Dominic convinced me to buy a taper-mount system that makes using the same can on multiple guns a breeze. Once the initial adaptor is installed tightly inside the silencer, taper mounts are installed on the desired firearms and torqued to the correct specs. The can is then hand tightened to the mount and won’t work loose during normal firing.
With a simple threaded mount, there’s a danger that the silencer can shake loose during firing. If the device isn’t in perfect alignment with the barrel, a bullet could actually strike the inner baffles and destroy it. The taper mount system, also made by Rex Silentium, seemed like a good investment.
The good thing about getting your transfer approval on an electronic machine is that it makes purchase of your second, third or fourth silencer simple. That might also be a bad thing.
I’m certain I will be getting at least one for rimfire rifles and pistols, which are typically much lighter and less expensive than cans made for centerfire firearms.
Professional Firearm Services can often thread a barrel for $125-$150, but you can buy a pre-threaded Ruger 10/22 barrel for about the same price. A rimfire silencer is about $460 and tax. My centerfire can was $700 plus around $200 for the taper mount and two adapters.
Many European countries have been using silencers for decades. It will be interesting to see how quiet the deer woods in Wisconsin and 40 other states (Connecticut doesn’t allow them for hunting) will be in the years to come and how much longer we hunters and target shooters retain our precious hearing.
With the price of hearing aids running into several thousand dollars, a firearm silencer seems a pretty good bargain.
Ross Bielema is a freelance writer from New London and owner of Wolf River Concealed Carry LLC. Contact him at Ross@wolfriverccw.com.
