Little Rock, Arkansas – A new federal law that quietly took effect at the start of the year is already reshaping the firearms market in Arkansas, drawing fresh attention from gun owners, retailers, and federal regulators alike. The change, part of President Donald Trump’s wide-ranging “Big Beautiful Bill,” eliminates a decades-old tax tied to the purchase of firearm suppressors, and local gun shops say the impact was immediate.
In Sherwood, the shift has been felt almost overnight. Nathan House, owner of Arkansas Armory, said customer interest surged as soon as the calendar flipped to January 1. For many buyers, the appeal centers on a single difference that removed a major financial hurdle.
“We’ve seen a lot of increased demand for suppressors,” House said.
For nearly a century, Americans seeking to purchase a suppressor—often referred to as a silencer, though it does not fully silence a firearm—were required to pay a $200 federal tax under the National Firearms Act of 1934. That tax remained unchanged for generations, even as inflation steadily eroded the value of money. As of Thursday, that fee is gone.
At Hunter’s Refuge in White Hall, the mood is similarly upbeat. Chandler Ferrell said customers have responded with enthusiasm, especially those who see suppressors as a safety and comfort upgrade rather than a novelty.
“You don’t have that crazy noise,” Ferrell said. “I mean, you still have a pretty loud noise, and we recommend hearing protection, but it’s so much better than shooting one without. And it takes a lot of the recoil out.”
Suppressors are commonly used to reduce noise and recoil, which some shooters say makes firearms easier to control and less damaging to hearing over time. With the cost barrier lowered, many Arkansas gun owners who once hesitated are now moving forward.
The surge, however, has created a new challenge at the federal level. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives is now facing an unprecedented wave of applications. House said the scale of the increase became clear almost immediately.
House received an email on Friday stating that the ATF typically receives around 2,500 suppressor-related forms per day. On January 1 alone, that number jumped to 150,000.
“The system is extremely backlogged on trying to get those forms into the ATF,” House said. “It’s just overwhelmed. It’s going to take the government some time to work through that process in order to be able to accept those forms.”
Despite the delays, gun shops say customers are not being turned away. Both Arkansas Armory and Hunter’s Refuge are encouraging interested buyers to get their paperwork started and add their names to the waiting list.
“We’ll pick out your silencer,” Ferrell said. “We have to do fingerprints, and we do all that in here. So, we get all of your paperwork completed and ready, and then we send it to the ATF, and then it’s just a waiting game.”
Retailers say their portion of the process remains relatively fast, even as the federal system struggles to keep pace. While the wait may test patience, both House and Ferrell say the long-term benefits outweigh the inconvenience.
“We shouldn’t be paying a tax on top of our other taxes just to own a suppressor,” Ferrell said. “I mean, it’s not even a firearm.”
“It helps people that have been wanting to get a suppressor be able to afford one of those,” House added.
The new law does not eliminate all federal firearms taxes. A $200 tax will still apply to machine guns and so-called destructive devices, including items such as grenade launchers. Still, the removal of the suppressor tax marks one of the most significant federal gun policy shifts in years.
As the ATF works through the mounting backlog, Arkansas gun owners are watching closely, weighing both the opportunity and the wait. For now, shop owners say interest shows no signs of slowing, signaling that the effects of the law may be felt for months to come.
