1934: The Birth of American Gun Control
In most countries, suppressors are treated like any other shooting accessory. They're simple muzzle devices designed to reduce noise and improve safety. But in the United States, owning one means paperwork, background checks, potentially months of waiting, and additional taxes for many items. So why the hassle?
To answer that, we have to go back to the early 20th century. The Roaring Twenties, Prohibition, and the Great Depression created a perfect storm for organized crime to thrive. Machine guns lit up the streets, and criminals like Al Capone turned cities into battlegrounds. High-profile acts of violence, such as the Valentine’s Day Massacre, shocked the public and pushed lawmakers to act.
Franklin D. Roosevelt, then the governor of New York, saw the carnage up close. After becoming president and surviving an assassination attempt in 1933, his resolve to tackle violent crime only deepened. The result was the National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA), the country’s first major gun control law.
Originally, the NFA aimed to ban a broad range of firearms, including handguns. But political resistance forced lawmakers to compromise. Instead of outright bans, they introduced steep taxes and heavy regulations. The revised bill created a registry for certain firearms and accessories, with a $200 tax stamp and mandatory approval from both federal and local authorities. The National Rifle Association supported the revised version, and Roosevelt signed it into law.
At the time, $200 was a fortune. It was almost half the price of a typical home. This effectively limited access to wealthy collectors and the politically connected, while leaving most Americans priced out. The NFA targeted items like machine guns, short-barreled rifles and shotguns, and silencers, along with a catch-all category known as “Any Other Weapon” (AOW), which included disguised or unusual firearms. AOWs were taxed at just $5, but everything else carried the much higher $200 fee.
The inclusion of suppressors had little to do with organized crime. Historians believe wealthy landowners feared quiet shots would lead to widespread poaching during the Depression. Since they had the means to buy suppressors legally, they lobbied for restrictions that would keep them out of the hands of the poor.
Ironically, the NFA did little to stop criminals, who continued to find ways around the law. What really curbed gang violence was the end of Prohibition, improved policing, and a recovering economy. Meanwhile, the NFA mostly succeeded in putting distance between everyday Americans and the tools they once had easy access to.
Fortunately, the $200 tax that once represented nearly half the cost of a home is no longer a major financial obstacle. While NFA items still carry an economic burden, the gap between average citizens and the wealthy has narrowed. The law remains on the books, but today, it functions more as an inconvenience than an outright block to ownership. At this time, the $200 tax stamp on silencers and SBRs is going away in January of 2026, with hopes of continuing down the path of deregulation. 
