Traffic and Truth
They do not always go hand in hand.
There’s been a recent dust up on social media suggesting that Silencer Central, which is the nation’s largest suppressor dealer, was lobbying against the Hearing Protection Act (HPA). If passed, the HPA would have removed suppressors from the NFA and done away with the $200 tax you must pay to purchase one. Based on my interactions with the owner of Silencer Central and my knowledge of the company, this is pure horse shit. I’ll get to the facts I have supporting that claim shortly, but first, how about a brief lesson on social media.
I’m not a social media expert but I would classify my son as one. He works as the creative marketing director for one of the most respected firearms manufactures in America. He runs their social media accounts and understands how the monster works. Just as importantly, he’s in tune with how traffic impacts the livelihoods of influencers and content creators who live on social media. The more traffic they get, the more money they make. And, next to boobs, one of the best ways to get traffic is with controversy.
The SIG P320 fiasco is a perfect example of how influencers and content creators use controversy to inflate the assumed impact of their social media footprint. This is a constant theme, because if an influencer or creator can convince you there’s some sort of covert scheme to undermine your safety, rights or opinions, it gives them gravitas and a high horse to sit upon. YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and all the social media sites are full of folks singing from their soapbox for either recognition, false fame, or money. Are they all just purveyors of bullshit? No. But it can be hard to separate the good from the bad.
With Silencer Central folks have been quick to accuse them of nefarious anti-Second Amendment acts, without knowing the totality of the circumstances. Once they get their traffic and inflate their numbers to help them get more money, sponsorship or advertising dollars, they just move on with the claim they only reported the facts as they were at the time.
As President Trump would say, “It’s fake news.” Reporting facts is a good thing. Failure to do research and report all the facts is intentional deception.
In November of 2023 Gun Digest – a premier source for accurate firearms news since 1944 – published an article I wrote about the good and bad of owning a suppressor. You can read the article HERE. The article highlights some of the good and bad points of suppressors, but also – very importantly – it discusses efforts on the part of Silencer Central, and Silencer Central’s owner Brandon Maddox, to modify the current laws concerning purchasing a suppressor. Keep in mind, the proposed legislation discussed in that article was occurring during the last administration, which if they would have had their way, you would not have been able to own a frigging water pistol. Below is an excerpt from that article that talks about the Tax Stamp Revenue Transfer for Wildlife and Restoration Act:
“This seemingly Rubik’s Cube-like process surrounding suppressor acquisition turns a lot of buyers off. Also, and unfortunately, this tax you pay isn’t treated like other Pittman-Robertson firearms and ammunition taxes that help fund hunter education and target ranges. The $200 tax goes directly into the federal government’s general fund that can be used for anything they want, like sending money to Ukraine.”
“Fortunately, there’s a bill that’s just been written, and that should be introduced by the time you read this, that could correct some of this silliness. It allows for 85 percent of every $200 tax collected from the sale of suppressors to be allocated to the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Trust Fund to support wildlife conservation, law enforcement, hunter recruitment and other related activities. Additionally, 15 of that 85 percent would be earmarked for the development, maintenance and operation of recreational shooting ranges. For 2023 alone, the expected tax collected would approach $200 million, and 85 percent of that is $170 million.”
I don’t think the Tax Stamp Revenue Transfer for Wildlife and Restoration Act is as good as having suppressors removed from NFA and the elimination the $200 tax altogether. However, it was better than nothing and given the political climate at the time, this bill actually had a chance when the HPA did not. To quote Brandon Maddox from an interview he did with AmmoLand in June of 2024, “I think where we differ from some people is we feel there could be some sort of crawl, walk, run. Some people are really focused on HPA, HPA, HPA. To me, it is obvious Biden is not going to sign that. I get trying to create some momentum for that. What we have been looking for is: Are there some key wins we can get for the silencers that would help us gradually get closer to getting approved for the Hearing Protection Act instead of focusing solely on that?”
The Specific lobbying issues text from the Lobbying Report form that is stirring up all the hate for Silencer Central states, “develop and support suppressor tax stamp conservation legislation” Admittedly, this sounds like support for the continuance or retention of the tax stamp. Maybe it’s poorly worded, but most importantly it’s misunderstood. The purpose of the lobbying efforts was to increase support for the taxes collected to go to “conservation” – Pittman-Robertson, as opposed to the general fund. At the bottom of this article, you can read the one-page version of this proposal as it was given to me by Brandon Maddox/Silencer Central in 2023.
There is also the claim that Silencer Central fears their business model would be jeopardized with the passage of HPA. To quote AmmoLand, “Silencer Central’s business model is to ship suppressors directly to the buyer’s front door. This option is available for NFA items, but not for Gun Control Act of 1968 (GCA) items. They also make the Banish line of suppressors. If suppressors were removed from the NFA, they would likely be reclassified under the Gun Control Act (GCA), which does not allow direct-to-consumer shipping for such items. This would impact Silencer Central’s current business model, which is built around direct home delivery in 42 states.”
Umm, this is not settled science or law. Twenty years ago, no one ever thought it was legal to have a suppressor –classified as a firearm under the NFA – shipped to your door. What a lot of folks do not understand is that when you order a suppressor from Silencer Central or another on-line action dealer, is that they ship the suppressor to a dealer in your state of residence. It is the successful completion of a form 4473 – the same form required for the purchase of a firearm, and that Silencer Central helps you complete on-line – and the resulting background check, that permits that dealer to ship the suppressor to you IF you have a tax stamp. There is a deep rabbit hole you can go down here…
Brandon Maddox made all that happen, and not by changing law, but by educating folks on it. In fact, Brandon – to a large extent – schooled the country and the enforcement agencies on the process. He is very likely the foremost authority on suppressor law and regulation. Now, if legislation deregulated suppressors, there might be no more NFA paperwork for Silencer Central to help you with, and maybe no more trusts for them to create for you, and most likely, the cost of suppressors would drop. However, shooters and hunters would buy a hell of a lot more suppressors and somebody must sell them. Silencer Central has the largest customer base in the world.
Could I be wrong about all of this? For sure, and if I am, I’ll admit it. Maybe, secretly, behind the scenes, Brandon Maddox and Silencer Central are working with Dr. Evil and they are part of some sort of clandestine communist, Russia-backed organization, intent on subverting your Second Amendment rights so you cannot defend yourself from the impending alien hoard. You make the call, it’s your money, spend it where you want. But know this before you fall into the social media traffic trap, Silencer Central has donated more than 1.3 million dollars to many organizations and programs dedicated to hunter and gun rights advocacy, education and conservation.
I believe you should be able to order a suppressor with your Amazon Prime account and have it in hand in two days. And I don’t see any reason for the government or anyone else to know you have one. But, if we are stuck with paying a damned $200 tax to get a suppressor, I’d for sure rather see most of that money go to the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Trust Fund – conservation – than I would see it shipped off to Ukraine, used to buy $1300 reheatable coffee cups, or to create a frigging Sesame Street in Iraq.
As a side note: Tom Gresham of Guntalk will be interviewing Brandon Maddox on his show this Sunday. I suggest you give it a listen – Tom is solid. He’ll get to the bottom of it, give it to you straight, and if I’m wrong, he’ll tell you, and I’ll admit it.
Imagine for a moment the incredible demand for suppressors that would be created overnight in places like my home state of California. My son could sell a literal train load from the gun shop he manages. This whole business of blaming Silencer Central for anything of bad intent is as dirty as used bath water from a vagrant encampment under the expressway. If suppressors are taken out of the NFA, and by some miracle we eventually can purchase them here in California, I will be one of the first to call up Silencer Central and start the process.
As to the social media “influencers”, they are what they are. I’m not of the generation that lives their lives while buried in their cell phones.
Great article as always Richard, keep these coming our way!