Silencer Central CEO Brandon Maddox wasn't always the guru of hearing protection. His journey began as a pharmacist who simply wanted to purchase a silencer of his own. Also known as suppressors, silencers are designed to reduce the report and recoil of a firearm. Despite the fact that these devices are not firearms, they are currently regulated by the ATF as "Class III" devices. They're perfectly legal to purchase and own in 42 of the 50 American states, but there are some confusing hoops to jump through. Or, more precisely, there were confusing hoops to jump through. Maddox is the man responsible for that shift in verb tense.
"It's a confusing process, because it involves NFA, National Firearms Act, and the Gun Control Act," Maddox says. "But the beauty is, we've spent the last 16 years truly just immersing ourselves, and we've completely streamlined it. It's very turn-key."
Today, Silencer Central not only facilitates suppressor-buying, the company has its own line of suppressors and also provides a range of other services, including barrel-threading and guidance on navigating NFA trusts. Maddox developed the system after drawing on his experiences in dealing with controlled substances in the pharmaceutical world. The ability for Silencer Central to ship suppressors straight to the doors of its customers is one of the innovations it has brought to the suppressor-buying process.
"I think one thing people sort of fall apart on is they're like, 'How can you sell it to me? I'm in this state, really far from you,' because our headquarters in South Dakota," Maddox says. "We've got a 45,000 sq.-ft. building there where we house our inventory and we have all our staff. I think we're up to 142 employees currently, and we have licensed locations, we have an FFL in every state where silencers are legal, and we have W2 employees at every one of those locations. So after it's approved, we mail it to that location, and our location manager there generates all the paperwork and handles everything needed from a compliance standpoint to get it to that person's front door."
In this great video from our friends at American Rifleman, you'll get an insider's tour of Silencer Central ... and learn more about how to introduce a little more quiet into your time at the range. For more information, visit Silencer Central online!
