The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) released data Tuesday showing background checks for suppressors and other National Firearms Act (NFA) items was up 121 percent January 2026 versus January 2025.
One driving force behind this surge was the removal of the $200 NFA tax via President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill.
NSSF public affairs managing director Mark Oliva noted, “January’s background check figures reinforce what many saw at the beginning of the month and was evident at SHOT Show 2026 in Las Vegas. This is the Year of the Suppressor. Background checks for items listed under the National Firearms Act (NFA) accounted for over 206,000 checks, which is 121 percent higher than they were one year ago.”
He added, “When Congress removes regulatory burdens and taxes, law-abiding gun owners respond by choosing to exercise their rights to both keep and bear arms.”
Oliva also pointed out that the exponential growth of NFA item sales once the tax was removed sends a signal that Congress can score another homerun by passing further deregulation of suppressors.
He said, “This only reinforces the need for Congress to pass the Hearing Protection Act and remove unnecessary barriers to suppressor ownership.”
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He holds a PhD in Military History with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. He enjoys reading Philosophy and novels by Jack Carr and Nelson DeMille. Follow him on X: @awrhawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at [email protected].
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