NFA Gun Trust Lawyer Blog
We often get questions dealing with the purchase of silencers in other states. You or a co-trustee must be a resident of the state in which you want to purchase the silencer. For example if you are a resident of a state that does not permit the ownership of silencers like New York, California, or New Jersey it is possible to purchase silencers in other states where they are legal. Unfortunately if you are a resident of a state where they are not legal will not be able to complete the transaction. If you have a co-trustee who is a resident of a state where they are legal the silencer can be purchased in that state by that co-trustee.
While it is permissible to add co-trustees in other states there should be a legitimate reason to add them and they should not be added to facilitate the purchase as this would be considered a straw purchase and would be illegal.
Often people add adult relatives or friend who they will be shooting with, or who they want to have access to the firearms to a trust as a co-trustee. This would be a legitimate reason to add someone and would not create a straw purchase issue. On the other hand if you were to add someone to the trust simply to allow you to make the purchase, it could be considered a straw purchase.
If you have questions about this you should contact you Gun Trust Lawyer® to discuss your specific circumstances and proposed course of action. Our Gun Trusts come with a guide that explains this in detail and what is and is not permitted under the federal laws that deal with these issues.