Forgotten Weapons does a good job of showing how insane the Federal law on gun mufflers/silencers/suppressors is. This law is a good example of insanity in legislation.
Since I posted my brief article on the original Maxim silencers,
I’ve had more than a few people contact me saying that they have found
one among the possessions of a deceased parent or grandparent. These
folks are curious what the value of a Maxim silencer is, and are looking
to sell it or learn more about the history behind them. Well, from the
number of contacts I’ve had along these lines, it is clearly something
that needs to be better addressed. I expect many of my regular readers
are going to know what I’m about to explain, but I want to put this out
there so that people searching on Google and other engines will find it.
So – the first thing that you need to know about Maxim silencers is
that, like all other silencers (aka suppressors) today they are required
to be registered with the BATF. The law requiring this took effect way
back in 1934, and possession of an unregistered silencer is a federal
felony. In addition, it is not legal to register an existing
unregistered silencer – they must be registered when originally
manufactured (or during the one registration amnesty that was granted in
1968).
The Maxim silencers were patented in 1909, before this law (the
National Firearms Act) existed, and at that time they were cheap and
unregulated. They were purchased via mail order, and cost a few dollars
(exact cost depended on which model you wanted; they made them for .22s
as well as centerfire rifles). They were stamped “Maxim Silencer”, but
were not serial numbered – there was no reason to go to the expense of
putting a serial number on such an item.
More Here
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