ATF Announces New Era of Reform - Major Win for Suppressor Owners

For decades, the suppressor community has lived under a regulatory framework built more on bureaucratic inertia than on safety, public benefit, or even statutory necessity. That framework is finally beginning to crack. ATF has launched what it is calling a “New Era of Reform” — a sweeping package of proposed and final rules designed to streamline NFA processes, cut red tape, and align the agency’s day-to-day operations with the realities of how law-abiding Americans actually own and use suppressors. You can read ATF’s announcement directly on their website.

The American Suppressor Association has been pushing for many of these changes for years. Here is what is on the table, what it means for suppressor owners, and what comes next.

Four Proposed Rules that Affect Suppressor Owners & The Suppressor Industry

1. Removing CLEO Notification (Comments Due 7/6/26)

The Chief Law Enforcement Officer notification requirement has long been one of the most pointless paperwork hurdles in the NFA process. Under the proposed rule, applicants would no longer need to send notification to their local CLEO when submitting a Form 1 or Form 4. This requirement has produced little public-safety benefit while creating real headaches — particularly in jurisdictions where local officials have used CLEO notification as a soft veto. Eliminating it removes a friction point that should never have existed in the first place.

2. Joint Spousal Registration (Comments Due 7/7/26)

This is a long-overdue fix. Under the proposed rule, “spouses would be able to jointly make, transfer or receive, and register NFA firearms without needing to create a trust.” Couples who today form trusts solely to share lawful access to a suppressor between two married adults would have a far simpler path. The rule notes that “applicants who are spouses filing jointly would need to provide documents demonstrating a legal marriage, which can include a marriage certificate or proof of a legal marriage otherwise recognized under state law.”

3. Interstate Transport and Temporary Export (Comments Due 8/6/26)

The current Form 5320.20 process is one of the most aggravating realities of suppressor ownership — needing federal permission to drive across a state line for a hunt or a match. The proposed rule would “specifically authorize persons transporting their affected NFA firearms they own to do so without submitting a request to ATF or waiting for ATF approval, so long as the period for which they are transporting their firearm out of state is for a short duration — 365 days or fewer.” For permanent moves of more than 365 days, the owner “would have to submit notice to ATF on an individual basis at least 14 days prior to beginning transportation but would not be required to wait for approval from ATF before initiating the move.” Notice, not permission — that is the right standard.

4. One SOT Per Business Activity Per Location (Comments Due 7/6/26)

This one is for dealers. Under the proposal, “one SOT payment is required for each taxable business at the same location (notwithstanding the number of licenses under the GCA that they need to conduct that taxable business activity).” Dealers who today are forced to stack multiple SOT payments to cover overlapping FFL types at a single location would see meaningful tax relief — and that savings flows downstream to consumers in the form of healthier suppressor dealers in every state.

What Suppressor Owners Should Do Now

These are proposed rules, not finalized regulations. Each one is open for public comment, and that is where the suppressor community can have an outsized impact. ATF will read and tabulate every comment submitted on the record, and a well-supported, articulate showing from suppressor owners and dealers is exactly the signal the agency needs that these reforms are wanted, workable, and overdue.

ASA is encouraging every member, every customer, and every supporter to take the time to file a comment on the proposals that matter to them. Reform of this scale does not happen often. When it does, the people most affected by these regulations need to show up on the record.

For more information on each rule, ATF’s full announcement, and links to every docket, visit the ATF’s New Era of Reform page. Then make your voice heard.