This Company Wants to REPEAL the NFA (ft. GSL Suppressors)

State of the Second sits down with Kevin from GSL Technology, a Michigan suppressor maker that has been building cans since 1985. Before suppressors, GSL did aerospace machining with titanium and inconel, and Kevin says a couple of components the company built are still on the moon. From its Jackson, Michigan facility west of Ann Arbor, GSL handled all the production for GemTech before Smith and Wesson bought GemTech in 2016. Kevin came to the company from an IT and military background, turned down the sales role twice, then flew up, shot the line, and got hooked. Most of the episode clears up what suppressors actually are and how you legally get one. Suppressors are completely legal in most states and only slightly harder to buy than a handgun. The process runs through an FFL that holds the Special Occupational Tax, a background check, fingerprints, a passport photo, a $200 tax stamp, and an ATF wait Kevin puts at two to thirteen months, followed by a second 4473 to take it home. He walks through the long list of myths he hears at shows: that the government can inspect your house unannounced, that suppressors have a short lifespan, that they lower velocity or accuracy, that one can only fits one gun, and that they are outright illegal. He points listeners to the 10 Most Common Suppressor Myths article at the bottom of gsltechnology.com. Kaylee takes the legislative side, tracing the path from the Hearing Protection Act to the new Shush Act introduced by Senator Mike Lee, and explaining why GOA backs these bills even when they will not pass right away. The argument is the long game: get good people to put their names on the bill, build a coalition, and create a record that the American people want suppressors out of the NFA. She and John tie it to the cultural fight too, from how Hollywood portrays firearms to attacks on hunter education in schools, and they push listeners to contact their representatives through gunowners.org, which takes about 45 seconds. Kevin closes with a tease of new suppressors using new baffle design technology that GSL may release at SHOT Show. Links gsltechnology.com Questions this episode answers Is it legal to own a suppressor, and how hard is it to buy one? Suppressors are completely legal in most states and have always been legal. Kevin says buying one is only slightly harder than buying a handgun, mostly paperwork and a wait rather than a ban. What is the step-by-step process for getting a suppressor through an FFL and the ATF? You buy through an FFL that holds the Special Occupational Tax, then complete a background check, fingerprints, a passport photo, and a $200 tax stamp. After the ATF wait, you fill out a second 4473 to take the suppressor home. How long does ATF suppressor approval take, and what does the $200 tax stamp cover? Kevin puts the ATF wait at roughly two to thirteen months. The $200 tax stamp is the federal National Firearms Act tax required to legally transfer the suppressor. What are the most common myths about suppressor ownership, and which are false? Kevin debunks claims that the government can inspect your house unannounced, that suppressors wear out quickly, that they lower velocity or accuracy, that one can fits only one gun, and that they are illegal. He points listeners to the 10 Most Common Suppressor Myths article at the bottom of gsltechnology.com. Can a single suppressor be used on more than one firearm? Yes. Kevin names the belief that a suppressor only fits one gun as one of the common myths he corrects, so a single can is not locked to a single firearm. What is the difference between the Hearing Protection Act and the Shush Act? Both aim to ease suppressor restrictions. Kaylee traces the path from the earlier Hearing Protection Act to the newer Shush Act, introduced by Senator Mike Lee. Why does Gun Owners of America support bills like the Shush Act even when they are unlikely to pass right away? Gun Owners of America (GOA) plays the long game: getting good lawmakers to put their names on a bill, building a coalition, and creating a record that Americans want suppressors out of the National Firearms Act. Kaylee adds that compromising only weakens the position. What is the easiest way to contact your representative about suppressor legislation? Kaylee and John point listeners to gunowners.org, where contacting your representative takes about 45 seconds. Chapters 00:00 — Welcome and introducing Kevin from GSL 00:46 — GSL's history: aerospace, the moon, and GemTech 01:37 — Kevin's path from IT and the military into sales 03:45 — Being a suppressor company in Michigan 05:51 — The process of legally buying a suppressor 09:57 — Which FFLs can sell suppressors and the SOT 11:01 — The most common suppressor myths 15:55 — OSHA, hearing, and government inconsistency 20:32 — Culture, Hollywood, and firearms education 22:04 — Traveling with suppressors and TSA stories 30:13 — Hearing Protection Act, Shush Act, and the long game 39:17 — How bills get loaded with unrelated provisions 43:09 — The NFA, the $200 tax, and pricing people out 52:28 — Where to find GSL and a SHOT Show tease About the guest Kevin is a sales representative for GSL Technology, a suppressor manufacturer based in Jackson, Michigan, just west of Ann Arbor. He grew up in Auburn and Fort Wayne, Indiana, joined the military at 17, and has been enlisted since 2005. He has lived in Augusta, Georgia since 2014, doing telecommunications and IT work, including Cisco work, with the military. He came to GSL from an IT background after his advisor connected him to a sales role, and he published the company's 10 Most Common Suppressor Myths article on gsltechnology.com. Key quotes "So suppressors are completely legal, right? They have been. They always have been." — Kevin "Getting a suppressor is only slightly more difficult than getting a handgun" — Kevin "If I can go into a gun shop and buy a set of ear Pro to protect my hearing, I should be able to go and buy a suppressor to protect the hearing of everyone else around me." — Kevin "every time we compromise, the only thing we're doing is weakening our position" — Kaylee "I think everything that's wrapped up in the process of getting a suppressor is designed to discourage ownership of them." — Kevin "it's pricing people out of their rights" — Kaylee