Data from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) shows that the transfer of suppressors and short barrel rifles jumped more than 200 percent in August 2026 compared to August 2025.
According to the NSSF, “With the tax on suppressors and short-barreled firearms zeroed out this year, the number of NFA items transferred tripled when compared to last year, with August 2026’s figure of 185,744, a 201.6 percent jump compared to August 2025’s puny 61,594.”
Mark Oliva, NSSF managing director of public affairs, said, “The meteoric growth of over 200 percent of National Firearms Act (NFA) items is especially telling that Americans continue to invest in suppressors and understand and appreciate the value of using a simple device that not only preserves hearing but makes recreational shooting more enjoyable.”
He added, “Gun owners demonstrate through these purchases that Second Amendment freedoms are fundamental to preserving personal safety and liberty.”
Breitbart News noted that NSSF general counsel Lawrence Keane took part in a House Oversight Committee roundtable Wednesday and pointed out there are now approximately 6.65 million suppressors in civilian hands.
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. He is a lever action man in an AR-15 world. Follow him on X: @awrhawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
