Key Facts to Know about Suppressors and Silencers

Curious about suppressors (aka “silencers”, “moderators”, or “cans”)? Below you’ll find information about the design, legal status, and operation of modern-day suppressors.

Here’s a cool video showing how suppressors work. This video features see-through rifle suppressors filmed with ultra-high-speed (110,000 frame per second) cameras. When played back in super-slow-motion, you can see the flame propagate through the suppressor and the bullet move through each baffle before it exists the muzzle. Check it out!

See Through Suppressor in Super Slow Motion (110,000 fps) — Click Arrow to Watch:

Supressors are now legal to acquire in 42 states, shown below in RED and BLUE. Suppressors are completely illegal to possess for private citizens in 8 states and the District of Columbia (shown in GRAY):

This Silencer Shop chart shows states where suppressors can be purchased without NFA paperwork (RED), where an NFA approval is still required (BLUE), and where suppressors are not legal to own (GRAY).

Suppressor Facts — What You Need to Know

This NSSF infographic provides the history, specifications, benefits and uses of firearm suppressors. Suppressors reduce gunfire sound levels by using baffles that contain expanding gasses exiting a firearm’s muzzle when ammo is discharged. Suppressors are similar to car mufflers that were, in fact, developed in parallel by the same inventor in the early 1900s. Well-designed suppressors typically reduce the gun sound levels by 30-35 decibels (dB).

Suppressors are now legal in 42 states nationwide. Suppressors are becoming more popular now that many states no longer require NFA paperwork. This has also reduced the cost of suppressors and made them much easier to acquire. Suppressor sales and registrations in the United States have surpassed 1.1 million units so far in 2026, driven by the elimination of the $200 National Firearms Act (NFA) tax stamp fee.

Similar Posts:

• Suppressors and Silencers — Important Facts You Should Know
• Suppressor Facts Revealed — How They Work
• Suppressor Basics — What You Need to Know
• Intro to Suppressors — How Silencers Work
• Suppressors May Soon Be Legalized in Minnesota and Vermont

Tags: ATF Suppressor, Baffles, Infographic, NSSF, Silencer, SilencerCo, Sound Moderator, Suppressor