Purchasing a Silencer
When purchasing a silencer or other NFA item for the first time, the process can seem daunting. Rest assured, Capitol Armory will hold your hand the whole way. When initially reading and learning about the steps required, many of our clients have felt overwhelmed and intimidated. In reality, because Capitol Armory does all the heavy lifting, it's a fairly simple and painless process.
The first part of the journey is to decide on the suppressor and make the purchase. The order allocates a serial number to you, which is required before paperwork creation can begin. Once you have a serial number everything is put into motion. This is also a great time to consider if you want the item transferred to you as an individual, or to a legal entity such as a trust. That is a conversation for another article, but it should be decided at this point in the process. Capitol Armory offers an affordable trust option for those interested in that method of transfer.
After the order is placed, Capitol Armory will send instructional emails. These emails may have a slight delay between the time the order is placed and when the emails are sent, but it's generally within 2 business days and often much faster. Our team goes through each order to ensure it's correct and processes this step by hand.
The first email will be basic instructions on how to get us one physical fingerprint card if the item is transferring to an individual, or one fingerprint card per responsible person if transferring into a trust or other legal entity. If you request, Capitol Armory will send blank fingerprint cards to you free of charge, or for a small fee, an ink pad and return postage can be included. While fingerprinting yourself is one option, there are also services like IdentoGo that will take care of the process for you. Additionally, many law enforcement agencies can assist. Ultimately, when it comes to fingerprints, just pick the method that is easiest for you to accomplish this step.
The second email will be a link to a customer profile tool. This 'Customer Wizard' is a simple step by step web-based form for you to enter your basic information. It contains a section to upload the passport style photo and any other necessary documentation, such as a trust, if applicable.
Once you have completed the customer wizard and we have received your fingerprint card in the mail, our team will review the information you submitted to make sure everything is correct. From there, we'll generate the Form 4 paperwork, which is necessary to transfer the item(s) from us to you. The last step will be to sign the paperwork. To make the process easier and faster, we utilize DocuSign so you can sign the forms remotely. Once they are signed, the software will automatically let us know, and you will receive a courtesy copy of the signed form from DocuSign.
At this point, you've completed the required steps on your end. Capitol Armory will print and mail the forms to the ATF and you'll receive a status update email letting you know they've been mailed. We will also take care of the CLEO notification.
Now you can sit back and patiently wait on your approval. Capitol Armory will notify you via email as soon as we receive your Form 4 approval in the mail.
There's one question we get multiple times a day. "I don't live in Texas, but I would like to buy a silencer from you. How does that work?" The NFA process can be very complicated for those new to it, and even confusing to many NFA vets as the procedures are different between dealers. It's a great question, and the answer is more simple than many may think.
For our out of state customers, simply purchase the item from us and let us know which local dealer you would like us to transfer to. We have a large list of dealers we have transferred to in the past that you can select from, or if your preferred dealer is not in our system yet, just let us know who it is and we're happy to reach out to them to get the required FFL/SOT information. Before selecting a local dealer, we highly recommend you contact them first to make sure they are accepting transfers.
Once you've specified your local dealer, Capitol Armory will file a Form 3 to transfer your order to that dealer. Once that Form 3 is approved (generally within 2-21 days) we'll ship your order to your local FFL and provide you with a shipment notification and tracking number via email. Your local dealer will collect the $200 BATFE transfer fee per serial, and will work with you to complete the Form 4 process.
Essentially, an order and your preferred dealer's name/contact info is all we need to get the silencer to your local shop. It's far more simple than many people assume, and is really no more complex than purchasing a normal Title 1 firearm online.
Perhaps you've heard the term "Form 4 packet" tossed around, or someone said Capitol Armory can do your Form 4 paperwork even if you're outside of Texas. There is some truth to this, but the above steps still apply. We do offer a free courtesy service to prepare the Form 4 paperwork on your local dealer's behalf. Your local dealer would still collect the $200 BATFE transfer fee per serial and be responsible for mailing the forms to the ATF. This service is mainly geared toward dealers who don't commonly transfer NFA items and are unfamiliar with the required paperwork. We're happy to perform this service; however, before requesting it, we ask that you contact your local dealer to inquire about their Form 4 procedures. Some dealers really enjoy us preparing the paperwork on their behalf, while others strongly prefer to complete the Form 4 process in-house.
Should you have any questions, feel free to contact us at any time!