Those who consider themselves “stamp collectors” will be familiar with both the website NFATracker and the company SilencerShop. NFATracker enables those waiting on the ATF to approve their National Firearms Act-regulated item can log their details and use the experiences of others in line to judge how long they’ll need to wait until they can use their newly-purchased item.
SilencerShop offers some of the dirt-cheapest prices on silencers, the best customer experience for NFA purchasers, and is continually pushing the envelope in terms of technology to make the process as seamless and painless as possible. In a “chocolate in my peanut butter” move, the two have decided to combine forces.
The acquisition seems to be designed as a way for SilencerShop to market their services to a wider audience. NFATracker has recently gotten a facelift and a complete re-fit of their internal workings to make the site run much more smoothly, but that’s probably not the reason SilencerShop dropped the coin for the site.
The real purpose is buried in the brand new News and Reviews sections. Once solely used for tracking processing times, NFATracker now seems to be positioning itself as a general authority on silencers, providing reviews of the same products offered for sale by SilencerShop.
It’s a smart move by SilencerShop as they try to increase their market share in the highly regulated field of suppressors…depending on the extent to which readers perceive a conflict of interest in NFATracker’s content. The accuracy and reliability of their reviews will determine ultimately how useful the site remains to the average gun owner. While we remain optimistic, as someone once said, trust, but verify.