Washington, D.C. — Last week, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) announced that, as of November 20, 2026, the export of certain silencers, mufflers, and sound suppressors is subject to BIS’s Export Administration Regulations, rather than the State Departments U.S. Munitions List. This deregulatory action aligns export controls on suppressors with the controls already applied to firearms. 

Under this rule, suppressors will be added to the Commerce Control List (CCL), and BIS will require a license for certain exports, reexports, or in-country transfers of the newly controlled suppressors, including releases of related software and technology to foreign persons. License exceptions currently available for firearms will also be available for suppressors. 

“This deregulatory action on suppressors is a common-sense move that alleviates the compliance burden on America’s proud firearms industry, while continuing to protect national security,” said Jeffrey I. Kessler, Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security. 

For additional information, please see the BIS and Department of State Federal Register notices implementing the regulatory changes described above, which are available online here and here. 

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