UPDATE: 3/7/2020 SB16 was retracted by Sen Saslaw and HB961 was sent to the Crime Commission for study (Senate Judiciary Committee did NOT send to floor for vote).  We expect to see similar legislation in the 2021 Session, but for now this is not happening.

Original Post:

Many customers are asking us if it's still feasible or recommended to start the purchase of a Silencer (suppressor) for Virginia residents. After the 2019 state election results, giving Democrats control of the State Senate as well as the House of Delegates in addition to the Governor's mansion, "they" have wasted no time in pre-filing legislation that includes language that could impact silencer (suppressor) ownership in the Commonwealth.  SB16 (Introduced by Richard L. Saslaw) covers a wide range of "assault firearms" and accessories set up for an outright ban.

While this is simply the beginning of the bill life-cycle, many of our customers, employees, and collectors are starting to ask questions about the future of silencer ownership come July 1, 2020.  We certainly don't have a crystal ball, but we are seeing increased interest and chatter about getting one before a "ban" could take place. Unlike Title I firearms (rifles, pistols, shotguns), the NFA element does create additional questions about "what would happen" if a Form 4 is still pending at the time the proposed law went into effect.

We simply don't know.  It is likely that 1) the NFA would no longer approve Form 4s for Virginia residents and/or 2) we would not be able to complete the transfer from our inventory to you or into your trust.  Where does that leave the customer? Out their money AND no suppressor.  As you probably know, after the sale, we've paid a vendor or manufacturer for that suppressor, so we're not sitting on the money any more. So what gives?

Not sure how other shops are handling it, but our approach is this: we'll be your broker, for free.  Essentially, if you "own" but can't "have" the NFA item, we'll work with you to get it out of our inventory to a dealer in a state that CAN sell them.  You could list it on Gunbroker, Armslist, connect with a dealer, etc and let us know where to send it.  We'll prep the necessary forms and get it out of the Commonwealth so hopefully you can recoup some of your investment.

Obviously, goal #1 is to put incredible amounts of pressure on our state leaders who wish to strip us of our Constitutional rights, but in the event our collective approach isn't successful, we want our customers to know that they will have options, that there is a path to get some money back out of them, that while your rights may be a total loss, your money doesn't have to be.