A provision of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax-and-spending package took effect Thursday, drawing heightened attention from gun owners across Arkansas.
The change eliminates a $200 federal tax on firearm suppressors, a fee that had been in place since 1934. Firearm retailers say the move has triggered a surge in demand and a backlog in federal processing.
“We’ve seen a lot of increased demand for suppressors,” said Nathan House, owner of Arkansas Armory in Sherwood.
Suppressors, sometimes called silencers, do not completely quiet a firearm but significantly reduce noise and recoil. With the tax removed, applications have spiked. House said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives typically receives about 2,500 suppressor applications per day, but received roughly 150,000 on Jan. 1 alone.
“The system is extremely backlogged,” House said. “It’s just overwhelmed, and it’s going to take the government some time to work through that process.”
At Hunter’s Refuge in White Hall, Chandler Ferrell said customers buy suppressors for a variety of reasons, including reduced noise and recoil.
“You still have a pretty loud noise, and we recommend hearing protection, but it’s so much better than shooting without one,” Ferrell said.
Retailers said their portion of the process remains relatively quick, with fingerprints and paperwork completed in-store before being submitted to the ATF. Approval times, however, remain uncertain due to the surge.
Both retailers expressed support for the change, saying it lowers a financial barrier for customers.
“We shouldn’t be paying a tax on top of our other taxes just to own a suppressor,” Ferrell said.
The $200 tax remains in place for machine guns and destructive devices such as grenade launchers.
For original reporting from THV11, click here.
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