American Suppressor Association
Sept 8, 2011
- September 8th, 2011 articles of incorporation were approved American Silencer Association (ASA)
– now known as the American Suppressor Association. - 2011 Founded by Knox Williams
- 2011 = 285,000 legally obtained suppressors in circulation
= 39 states were legal to own - AAC, Gemtech, and SilencerCo each pledged $5,000 towards the development of a trade association
- 2012 – ASA Visited the ATF Technology Branch in West Virginia
- December 2013 – Knox Williams became Executive Director of ASA
- 2015 – 2017 Michael Williams became full-time attorney
- September 2016 – Owen Miller became Director of Outreach
- 2020 = 1,750,000 suppressors in circulation
= Law-abiding citizens in 42 states can own suppressors
= hunters in 40 states are now allowed to use suppressors
https://americansuppressorassociation.com/
Legalized suppressor ownership
- Iowa
- Minnesota
- Vermont
Removed the prohibition on suppressors while hunting
- July 1, 2014 – Georgia
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Florida
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Montana
- New Hampshire
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Texas
- Wyoming
About the American Suppressor Association
The American Suppressor Association (ASA) is the national trade association for the suppressor industry. It grew out of an August 19, 2011 organizing meeting in Washington, D.C., attended by representatives of AAC, Gemtech, SilencerCo, SWR, the NRA and others, and its articles of incorporation were approved on September 8, 2011, under the original name American Silencer Association. Founder Knox Williams, a former Advanced Armament Corp. employee and the son of an audiologist, built the group around hearing protection, and he became its executive director in December 2013. From the start its goals have been education, public relations and legislation on behalf of suppressor owners, hunters and manufacturers.
ASA has been central to the steady expansion of suppressor rights at the state level, helping legalize ownership in Iowa, Minnesota and Vermont and lifting hunting bans in 18 states. Federally, it backed the Hearing Protection Act, drafted with help from its counsel, and the 2025 reconciliation law repealed the $200 NFA tax on suppressors effective January 1, 2026; suppressors still require NFA registration. ASA data cited by NSSF put registered suppressors at more than 4.4 million, and ownership is now legal in 42 states.
Key Facts
- September 8, 2011: Articles of incorporation approved; AAC, Gemtech and SilencerCo each pledged $5,000
- December 2013: Knox Williams became executive director
- July 1, 2014: Georgia allowed suppressor hunting, the eighth state ASA helped change
- 2015: Hired Michael Williams as general counsel, who helped draft the Hearing Protection Act
- July 4, 2025: Reconciliation bill repealing the $200 suppressor tax signed into law
- January 1, 2026: $0 federal tax on suppressors took effect
Learn More
Sources
- Why I Formed the American Suppressor Association (Soldier Systems Daily)
- Some Gun Taxes Removed in Budget Reconciliation Bill (Gun Tests)
- New Year Buying Surge Shows 2026 Could Be the Year of Suppressors (NSSF)
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