The GOA and Silencer Shop Ruling does not change the impact of state law

• Posted on 11 August 2026
• By Unknowner
• Posted in case, court, goa, gun owners of america, silencer shop, silencer shopt, silencershop
• 1

State law still applies

FIREARMS UNKNOWN

Yuma, Arizona  |  Customer Notice  |  Issued August 13, 2026

NFA Transfers After Silencer Shop Foundation v. ATF: Where We Stand

OUR POLICY

Firearms Unknown will continue to require an approved ATF Form 4 (or other applicable ATF approval) for every suppressor, short-barreled rifle (SBR), short-barreled shotgun (SBS), and any other weapon (AOW) transferred at this store, including suppressors purchased through Silencer Shop. 

This reflects our reading of Arizona law, explained below.

WHAT THE FEDERAL RULING DID

On August 5, 2026, a federal court in Texas (Silencer Shop Foundation v. ATF, N.D. Tex.) held that the National Firearms Act's registration and approval requirements are unconstitutional as applied to suppressors, SBRs, SBSs, and AOWs now that the federal tax on those items is $0, and permanently barred the ATF and the Department of Justice from enforcing those requirements against a defined group: the plaintiffs, their members, and their customers. The government did not appeal, and the order took effect on August 13, 2026.

WHERE ARIZONA LAW FITS, AND HOW WE READ IT

Under A.R.S. § 13-3101(A)(8), a device “designed, made or adapted to muffle the report of a firearm” (a suppressor), an SBR, and an SBS are each a prohibited weapon, and knowingly possessing, selling, or transferring one is a class 4 felony under A.R.S. § 13-3102(A)(3). A.R.S. § 13-3101(B) excludes items that are “possessed, manufactured or transferred in compliance with federal law.” So, Arizona legality depends on federal compliance.

Our reading: the federal order restrains federal enforcement against the protected group, but it does not repeal the federal registration requirements, and Arizona courts and prosecutors were not parties to the case and are not bound by it. On that reading, an unregistered transfer is not “in compliance with federal law” and falls outside Arizona's exemption, even for protected buyers; only federal consequences are off the table. Others, including Silencer Shop, read it differently. No Arizona court has decided the question, and we will not make our customers the test case for it. Anyone outside the protected group is unquestionably out of federal compliance, facing both federal charges and the Arizona statute.

Separately, the Gun Control Act (18 U.S.C. § 922(b)(4)) still requires federal authorization before a dealer may transfer an SBR or SBS. That statute was not part of the court's order, so SBRs and SBSs require an approved Form 4 everywhere in the country.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU

On top of the Arizona question, coverage under the federal order must be proven for the buyer, the product's source, and this store in every sale, the ATF has issued no dealer guidance, and there is no way to register an item later if a transfer turns out not to be covered. Meanwhile the registered path has never been cheaper or faster:

• The federal tax stamp is $0 (since January 1, 2026).
• Individual eForm 4 approvals are currently averaging about a week, in some cases we have had approvals in less than 24hrs.
• Our staff can start your eForm 4 at the counter today.
• A registered suppressor is unquestionably lawful, federally and in Arizona, no matter what happens next.

COMMON QUESTIONS

Silencer Shop lists Arizona as a state where covered purchases need no Form 4. Why are you stricter? 

Their view treats buyers protected by the federal order as being in compliance with federal law. We read the statute differently: the order limits federal enforcement, it does not rewrite federal requirements, and Arizona is not bound by it. Reasonable people disagree; until Arizona authority settles it, we follow the reading that cannot hurt you.

I'm covered by the injunction (for example, as a GOA member). Doesn't that protect me? 

It may protect you from federal enforcement. In our reading it does not satisfy Arizona's compliance exemption, and Arizona authorities are not bound by the federal order. All transfers here remain on approved Form 4s.

Will this policy change? 

It may. If the law changes, if new information comes to light, or if our understanding of the underlying question changes, we may update this policy. The version date below always identifies the current notice.

This notice states store policy and provides general information; it is not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, please consult an Arizona attorney. We are glad to answer questions and can get your Form 4 started today.

Firearms Unknown  |  Yuma, Arizona  |  August 13, 2026