Could any of you guys clue me in on what the laws are regarding silencing a long gun, such as an AR-15 or 10/22?

Thanx.

To get a can:

1)  Buy one from a dealer.  Sent fingerprints, photos, $200 tax, and Form 4 signed by a Chief LEO in your area to the ATF.  Wait for months.

2)  Build one.  Send fingerprints, photos, $200 tax, and Form 1 signed by a Chief LEO in your area to the ATF.  Wait for months.

If you form a corporation, you can skip the finterprints, photos, and CLEO signature for either option.

Putting one on a long gun:

A sound suppressor is also a [i]very[/i] effective flash suppressor, so you have to play the preban/postban game.  I.e., you can't put one on a posban AR because it already has a pistol grip.  I [i]think[/i] you can put one on a 10/22 because it doesn't have a pistol grip.  

Sheesh- Leave it to the Defecrats to complicate something that should be simple.

It's looking like I'll have to wait for the AWB to die as far as the AR goes.  What's the scoop on forming a corporation for acquiring these accessories?  

I suppose tapdancing around the "It's a silencer, not a flash suppressor- the affect on flash is just incidental" argument wouldn't be a good idea, eh?  (Ever since I was a kid I've played with the rules- you'd think I'd learn after a while).

I formed an Ohio LLC because my Police Chief won't sign unless you [s]suck his di[/s]are his friend, and the Sheriff will only sign for MGs, not suppressors (go figure).

It cost $125, and I have been advised by the state of Ohio and the IRS that I do not have to pay any tax (even a state maintenance fee) if I decide to have it taxed as a sole proprietorship.  This assumes I make no profits.  If I buy an MG and sell it for more, I have to report that difference as profit and pay taxes on it.

I used the book "How to Form Your Own Ohio LLC Before the Ink Dries!"  It has all the steps and forms.  If you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself, a local lawyer would probably charge $1-200 (just a guess).



It's no good because the ATF has already ruled on this matter.  They don't care about incidental; if you polish your disconnector too much and your gun happens to go full auto, it's still a machine gun.  If it hides the flash, it's a flash hider.  If it muffles the report at all, it's a silencer.  That's why all the fake silencers are solid metal.  If you were just to sell a suppressor body with no baffles, it would still be a suppressor, because it reduces the report by a few dB.



Do what you have to do.  I'm guessing that nobody is going to hassle you about putting a can on your postban AR, even though it technically makes it an "Assault Weapon", but who knows?  Ya pays yer money, ya takes yer chances.

Well, I don't "have to" do much of anything.  If the BATF has ruled then the spirit of the law supercedes the letter.  I was curious about these things and asked the question to cure my ignorance.

Looks like the safest thing to do is wait for the AWB to die (and help it along!), then get one afterward IAW applicable laws and regulations.  I won't get sloppy when it comes to my RKBA.  Thanks for the info.