I know I have to do a form 20 for my SBRs moving out of state. The form only has room for 3 items so I will be doing multiple form 20s for the SBRs and SBS. Do I also need to do one for suppressors? I know I don't normally do anything traveling interstate with suppressors. But this will be permanent move from a NFA friendly state to a NFA friendly state.

EDIT: Also one of my SBS might stay behind in the original state but at a different address. I might leave one for hunting at my family members house. It would be locked in a safe that only i have access to. My understanding is that his is ok as long as only i have access to it or i add them to my trust. But should that SBR just not be on any form 20 since it is not leaving the state it is currently listed in?

You can file the suppressors if you want, but it's not legally mandatory.  If it were me I would just do them as well to keep things consistent but YMMV.

As for leaving something behind, if it's locked up like you say and others don't have access to it, then you're good.  It's the same as if you own individual registered NFA items and you lock them up in the safe while you're not home but your spouse/kids are, basically the same idea.  Or you could ad them to your trust and then locking it up is moot as they could have access to it.

And yes, if you leave something behind in your current state, don't add it to the 5320.20.

Thanks, might do the cans it just will require a bunch of form 20s.

Not that you are likely to do so with cans, but the NFA Branch will not approve transfers on items from an address other than what is listed in the registry.  So, if at some point in the future you tried to transfer a silencer registered to you to someone else from your current address, and your old address was listed in the registry, the transfer would be denied.  When I moved I did a 5320.20 for everything I had despite it not being required for silencers and AOWs.  I understand not wanting to do more than the law requires, but just be aware of the potential issues if you don't.

Gotta buddy of mine moving next year, how far in advance do you submit the forms?  It doesn't say on the form instructions.

I submitted mine 30 days before I moved in 2022. Never got a reply one way or another.

I still have the email I sent saved, just in case.

I’m in the same boat. Line 9 for transport do I leave blank if moving myself or put my own address?

My sbr’s are one address and my suppressors are another


I’m guessing multiple forms.

No way around my move but can I transport through Illinois(west boring side)? I guess I can add 10 hours by going around

This move is getting stressful

I drove around just because

Answers in red.

Thanks so much!

I thought they have to grant permission for SBR’s?

You do need the approval back before you make the move out of state.

Based on the two sets of 5320 forms I sent in, ATF seems to want to send them to the address you're going to, not the address you're leaving from, which makes zero sense.

The second time, in the box where the form asks you where you want them sent to if different than your current address, I put in my current address.  And they still sent them to the new address.  I only ever got them because the people I was buying the house from got the forms in the mail and saved them for me.

So if you fill out a 5320 and never get it back, it may have gotten sent to the address you list as moving or traveling to, which may not be one where you'll ever get it, if it's a training center or some such.

For the 5320 and move aspect, nothing seems to rile people up as much as this aspect, with insults and name calling aplenty.  

Factual data:

Your are not legally required to obtain permission via ATF to move a suppressor across state lines.

ATF states on the back of the Form 4 for you to let them know of a permanent change of address.

Now people run the gamut from filling out a 5320 for suppressors, to doing nothing, and seem to take umbrage if someone else does things different.

My thoughts, and what I did:

I'm not filling out a form for permission from ATF to move a suppressor if it's not legally required.  1. No reason to ask for permission if not required 2. With only a silly 3 lines per form, it' would take a bunch more forms to fill out and mail in  /get back.

After the move, I did write a business letter to ATF listing the serial numbers of the suppressor I moved, and what their new permanent address was.  1. It says to do that on the form, and it would be less than ideal to have to prove to a jury why I wasn't required to do that, in the rare event something untold happened.  2. As stated above, if I ever transfer the suppressors, ATF could if they wished give some pushback as to the fact the address on the Form 4 wasn't the same as what they had in their register from the Form 4 from when I got it.  You could probably say you forgot / lost in the mail / etc., but why bother with all that when you can mail in a letter for 46 cents?

After month or so I got a letter back from ATF with my letter and a Received or Filed or some such stamp on it, so I'm set.