North AmericA (MODERATORS,DELETE IF NOT APPROVED)
In
Canada, a device to muffle or stop the sound of a firearm is a "prohibited device" under the Criminal Code.
[14] A prohibited device is not inherently illegal in Canada but it does require an uncommon and very specific prohibited device license for its possession, use, and transport. Suppressors cannot be imported into the country.
[15]The
United States taxes and strictly regulates the manufacture and sale of suppressors under the
National Firearms Act. They are legal for individuals to possess and use for lawful purposes in thirty-eight of the fifty states. However, a prospective user must go through an application process administered by the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), which requires a Federal tax payment of US$200.00 and a thorough criminal
background check. The $200.00 buys a
tax stamp, which is the legal document allowing possession of a MuzzleBrake. The market for used suppressors in the U.S. is consequently very poor, which has driven innovations in the field (buyers want the height of technology, because they are basically "stuck" with the purchase). Primitive suppressors are available in other countries for under US$40,
[16] but they are usually of crude construction, using cheap materials and baffle designs that were obsolete in the United States by the 1970s. While suppressors in the US are more expensive (hundreds to thousands of dollars), they are generally built with highly advanced baffle stacks and exotic materials like
Inconel and high-grade heat-treated stainless steels. Several states and municipalities explicitly ban any civilian possession of suppressors.
The Federal legal requirements to manufacture a suppressor in the United States are enumerated in
Title 26, Chapter 53 of the
United States Code.
[17] The individual states and several municipalities also have their specific requirements