Yes, suppressors are legal in Maine. The state adds no permits, registration, or waiting period on top of federal law, and as of January 1, 2026, the federal transfer tax on suppressors dropped from $200 to $0 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed on July 4, 2025. You still need ATF approval before you can take one home, but the cost barrier that kept many buyers out for 90 years is gone.
What Maine Requires Beyond Federal Law
Nothing. Maine has no state-level suppressor registration, no state permit, and no waiting period beyond the ATF process. If federal law lets you buy one, Maine lets you own one.
Hunting with a suppressor is allowed too. Maine used to require a separate permit from the Warden Service to hunt with a suppressor-equipped firearm, but that requirement was eliminated.1Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Laws Pertaining to Hunting Equipment: Laws and Rules As long as the suppressor is properly registered with the ATF, you can hunt with it in Maine without any state paperwork.
The Federal Rules That Do Apply
The National Firearms Act of 1934 classifies suppressors as NFA firearms alongside machine guns, short-barreled rifles, and destructive devices.2Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. National Firearms Act Every suppressor in the country must appear in the ATF’s National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. Possessing an unregistered suppressor is a federal crime, and living in a suppressor-friendly state does not change that. Registration happens automatically when the ATF approves your purchase or manufacture application.
The $200 transfer tax that had been in place since 1934 was reduced to $0 effective January 1, 2026, for suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and “any other weapons.” The approval process itself remains.
Who Cannot Own a Suppressor
Federal law under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) bars certain people from possessing any firearm, and suppressors count as firearms for this purpose. You cannot own a suppressor if you:3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
- Have a felony conviction, defined as any crime punishable by more than one year of imprisonment
- Are a fugitive from justice
- Use or are addicted to controlled substances
- Have been adjudicated mentally defective or committed to a mental institution
- Are an unlawful alien or, with limited exceptions, a nonimmigrant visa holder
- Were dishonorably discharged from the military
- Have renounced U.S. citizenship
- Are subject to certain domestic violence restraining orders
- Have a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction
Maine’s own prohibited-persons statute, Title 15 § 393, largely mirrors the federal list but adds restrictions for some juvenile adjudications and people subject to extreme risk protection orders.4Maine Legislature. Maine Code Title 15 393 – Possession of Firearms Prohibited for Certain Persons
You also need to meet age requirements. Buying from a licensed dealer requires you to be at least 21. Private transfers between individuals and possession as a trust beneficiary require you to be at least 18.
How to Buy a Suppressor in Maine
Start with a dealer who holds both a Federal Firearms License and a Special Occupational Taxpayer designation, commonly called a Class 3 dealer. You pay for the suppressor at the shop, but it stays there. The dealer files an ATF Form 4 to transfer and register the suppressor to you.5Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. eForms Applications You can register as an individual, through an NFA trust, or through a legal entity such as a corporation.
You submit fingerprint cards and a passport-style photograph with the Form 4. The ATF then runs a background check. Electronic filing through the ATF’s eForms system moves faster than paper. As of February 2026, the ATF averaged 10 days for individual eForms and 26 days for trust eForms, compared with roughly 21–24 days for paper submissions.6Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Current Processing Times Volume and any flagged items can push individual applications longer.
Once the ATF approves the Form 4, the dealer notifies you, and you can pick up the suppressor. Most dealers charge a transfer handling fee on top of the suppressor’s price, commonly $25 to $100.
Building Your Own Suppressor
You can legally manufacture your own suppressor, but ATF approval has to come first. This uses ATF Form 1 rather than Form 4. File the application, submit fingerprints and a photo or copy of a valid photo ID, pass a background check, and wait for approval before you do any manufacturing. Building one without an approved Form 1 is a federal felony.
Several Form 1 changes took effect on January 1, 2026. The making tax dropped to $0. The requirement to notify your local chief law enforcement officer was eliminated. The updated form supports additional digital signature types on the eForms system. What did not change: you need ATF approval and a cleared background check before any work begins.
When the suppressor is finished, engrave it with a serial number, your name, and your city and state under ATF marking requirements. From that point it is registered to you and treated exactly like any dealer-purchased suppressor.
Should You Use an NFA Trust
An NFA gun trust is a legal entity that holds the suppressor instead of you personally. The practical benefit is shared possession: anyone named as a trustee can legally use and carry the suppressor. If you register as an individual, only you can possess it.
The trade-off is paperwork. Every “responsible person” on the trust must submit fingerprints, a photograph, and pass a background check each time the trust picks up a new NFA item. Responsible persons are the people who can exercise control over the trust’s firearms, typically the person who created the trust and any co-trustees. Beneficiaries and successor trustees generally are not responsible persons and do not need to submit background check materials.
Trust applications also run somewhat longer than individual ones. Whether that flexibility is worth the extra steps depends on how many people in your household will actually use the suppressor.
Transferring or Inheriting a Suppressor
Selling or giving a suppressor to another person means a new Form 4, even in a gift and even if you both live in Maine. The recipient goes through the full sequence: fingerprints, photograph, background check, ATF approval. The tax is $0, but the approval requirement stays.
Inheritance uses a different form. When a suppressor owner dies, the executor or personal representative can legally hold the suppressor during probate without that counting as a transfer. The heir then registers it in their name using ATF Form 5, which is a tax-exempt estate transfer form. The heir still has to pass a background check. If the heir is a prohibited person or lives in a state where suppressors are banned, the suppressor has to move to an eligible person or be surrendered to the ATF.
An NFA trust simplifies this. Because the trust owns the suppressor, the death of the person who created it does not trigger a Form 5 or probate for the suppressor itself. The successor trustee takes over trust assets according to the trust document.
Traveling With Your Suppressor
Suppressors do not require ATF advance notice for interstate travel. You can drive out of Maine with yours without filing anything.5Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. eForms Applications
Where you go matters, though. Eight states and the District of Columbia prohibit civilian suppressor possession entirely: California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island. Carrying your suppressor into any of those jurisdictions is a criminal offense no matter what your Maine registration says.
Keep a copy of your approved Form 4 or Form 1 with the suppressor when you travel. It proves registration if the question ever comes up.
Penalties for Illegal Possession
Possessing an unregistered suppressor is a serious federal crime. Under 26 U.S.C. § 5871, an NFA violation carries a maximum penalty of $10,000 in fines and up to 10 years in federal prison, or both.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 5871 – Penalties
Maine adds its own penalties on top. A prohibited person caught with a firearm, suppressor included, faces charges ranging from Class D to Class B depending on the underlying disqualification.4Maine Legislature. Maine Code Title 15 393 – Possession of Firearms Prohibited for Certain Persons A Class B crime in Maine carries up to 10 years of imprisonment. Federal and state charges can stack, so a single unregistered suppressor can trigger prosecution in both systems.
With the tax gone and the process well-defined, following it is now cheaper and faster than at any point since 1934.