BIS announces export controls on certain silencers, mufflers and sound suppressors

BIS announced that, effective November 20, 2026, export controls on certain silencers, mufflers, and sound suppressors will move from the State Department's U.S. Munitions List to BIS's Export Administration Regulations, aligning them with existing firearms export controls. Suppressors will be added to the Commerce Control List, with licensing required for certain exports, reexports, and in-country transfers to foreign persons (including related software and technology), and firearms license exceptions will extend to suppressors as well.