Buying a suppressor in Missouri is legal, and the state adds no restrictions beyond what federal law already requires. If you can legally own a firearm, you can legally own a suppressor here. The purchase runs through a specialized dealer, involves ATF paperwork and a background check, and ends with a federal tax stamp registered in your name. The transfer tax itself is now $0, so the real costs are the suppressor, the dealer’s transfer fee, and your time.
Missouri’s Position on Suppressors
Missouri’s weapons statute lists prohibited conduct like carrying concealed into restricted areas, setting spring guns, and firing at buildings or vehicles. Suppressors are not on that list.1Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 571.030 – Unlawful Use of Weapons There is no state permit, no state registry, and no separate state background check for a suppressor. Everything you’ll do to buy one comes from federal law under the National Firearms Act.
Who Can Buy One
Federal eligibility rules apply to every purchase. You must be at least 21 to buy a suppressor from a licensed dealer. Private (non-dealer) transfers and trust beneficiaries drop that floor to 18, but most people buy from a dealer.
Federal law also bars several categories of people from possessing any firearm, suppressors included:
- Anyone convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison
- Anyone convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence or subject to a qualifying protective order
- Fugitives from justice
- Anyone who unlawfully uses or is addicted to a controlled substance, which under federal law still includes marijuana users even in states where it’s legal
- Anyone adjudicated mentally defective or committed to a mental institution
- Anyone dishonorably discharged from the Armed Forces
- Former U.S. citizens who have renounced their citizenship
These prohibitions live in 18 U.S.C. § 922(g).2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts If any apply to you, buying or possessing a suppressor is a federal crime.
How the Purchase Works
Suppressor purchases don’t happen same-day. You pick out the item, file paperwork, wait for ATF approval, and only then take it home.
Start With the Right Dealer
You need a Federal Firearms Licensee who also holds a Special Occupational Taxpayer designation. These are commonly called Class 3 or SOT dealers, and they’re the only ones who can transfer NFA items to you. Not every gun shop qualifies. Many buyers order online from a suppressor retailer, who ships the unit to a local SOT dealer to handle the transfer.
File the Form 4
Once you’ve picked a suppressor, you complete ATF Form 4, the application for a tax-paid transfer and registration. It captures your information, the suppressor’s make, model, and serial number, and starts the background check. You’ll add passport-style photos and fingerprints. Electronic fingerprint (EFT) files uploaded through the ATF’s eForms portal are faster and less error-prone than mailed ink cards.
The federal government classifies suppressors as “firearms” under 26 U.S.C. § 5845, in the same category as short-barreled rifles and machineguns.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 5845 – Definitions Every suppressor has to be registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, and Form 4 is what puts it there in your name.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 5841 – Registration of Firearms
The Transfer Tax Is Now $0
The NFA transfer tax used to be $200 for suppressors. Under the current text of 26 U.S.C. § 5811, the $200 rate applies only to machineguns and destructive devices; all other NFA firearms, suppressors included, now carry a $0 transfer tax.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 5811 – Transfer Tax You still go through the full Form 4 and background check, but the stamp itself no longer costs you money.
The Wait
Your suppressor stays at the dealer while the ATF reviews the application. You can’t take it home until the transfer is approved and the stamp issues. Since the ATF moved to electronic submissions, waits have dropped sharply. As of early 2026, the ATF reports median eForm 4 processing times of about 10 days for individual applicants and 26 days for trust applicants.6Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Current Processing Times Times fluctuate, and a background-check hiccup can stretch things out, but the old 6- to 12-month waits are largely gone for electronic filings.
Individual vs. Trust
You can register a suppressor to yourself or to a legal entity like an NFA trust. Individual registration is simpler and most first-time buyers use it. A trust lets multiple people legally possess and transport the suppressor and gives you a clearer succession plan.
The trade-off is more paperwork. Every “responsible person” in the trust has to submit fingerprints, a photo, and their own background check via ATF Form 5320.23.7Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Background Checks for Responsible Persons (Final Rule 41F) A responsible person is anyone who can direct the trust’s management or policy over its firearms. Beneficiaries who only inherit at the grantor’s death typically aren’t responsible persons during the application.8Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. ATF Form 5320.23 – National Firearms Act Responsible Person Questionnaire A trust can also weather a mid-application move more easily than an individual filing.
Hunting and Traveling With It
Missouri does not prohibit hunting with a suppressor. The Missouri Department of Conservation’s regulations restrict fully automatic weapons but don’t list suppressors among prohibited equipment.9Missouri Department of Conservation. Hunting Regulations If the firearm and ammunition are legal for the species and season, the suppressor doesn’t change that.
Crossing state lines is where people get confused. ATF Form 5320.20, the interstate transport application, is required for machineguns, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and destructive devices. Suppressors are not on that list.10Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. ATF Form 5320.20 – Application to Transport Interstate or to Temporarily Export Certain National Firearms Act Firearms You can take a suppressor across state lines without filing Form 5320.20 or asking ATF permission first. But confirm the destination state allows them. Eight states prohibit suppressor ownership entirely, and Missouri registration will not help you there.
What Happens If You Skip Registration
Possessing a suppressor that isn’t properly registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record is a federal crime. Penalties run up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 5871 – Penalties That covers homemade suppressors built without an approved Form 1, units acquired outside the Form 4 process, and any suppressor whose paperwork doesn’t match the person holding it.
Keep your approved tax stamp documentation accessible when you transport the suppressor. A digital copy on your phone with the original stored at home is the approach most experienced owners take.