Are Suppressors Legal in Tennessee?

Tennessee's Hearing Protection Act removed firearm silencers from the prohibited-weapons provisions in sections 39-17-1301 and 39-17-1302 effective July 1, 2017. ATF's current Tennessee compendium lists no replacement suppressor-specific possession offense, while the federal NFA process remains unchanged.

Suppressors are federally legal to own under the NFA. As of January 1, 2026 the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (signed July 2025) zeroed the federal making and transfer tax on suppressors, formerly $200. Form 4 or Form 1, fingerprints, the NICS background check, and NFA registration are all still required; ATF eForm approvals currently run days to a couple of weeks.

Scope: Firearm suppressors (silencers) as defined by the NFA. Federal NFA compliance (Form 4 or Form 1, fingerprints, NICS, registration) is required everywhere they are legal.