{"id":114646,"date":"2026-01-17T02:13:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T08:13:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=114646"},"modified":"2026-01-17T02:13:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T08:13:14","slug":"114646","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=114646","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

Man Successfully Registers Potato as Silencer<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cTATE001\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the official serial number of what appears to be the first legally registered 9mm potato silencer, according to a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF)\u00a0registration form obtained by\u00a0The Reload<\/em><\/a>. It\u2019s registered to a man named Zach Clark, who said he pulled off the feat as an act of defiance against the National Firearms Act (NFA).<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a good way to highlight to normal people that like, \u2018Yeah, this is dumb,’\u201d Clark told\u00a0The Reload<\/em>. \u201cThis whole law is kind of dumb.\u201d<\/p>\n

The spud suppressor may be the most remarkable result of the NFA tax cut enacted at the beginning of the year as part of President Donald Trump\u2019s One Big Beautiful Bill, which made the cost of registering suppressors $0 and opened up the floodgates. The ATF saw more NFA electronic registration requests on New Year\u2019s Day than at any time in its history. The lower cost of compliance, combined with a recently-digitized process, has made new kinds of suppressors\u2013including disposable or even meme designs\u2013more viable than before.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) informed NSSF that on Thursday, January 1, 2026, alone, an unprecedented surge in e-Forms submissions were being processed,\u201d the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the gun industry\u2019s trade group,\u00a0said last week<\/a>. \u201cThat total was approximately 150,000 e-Forms. For an eye-popping comparison, last year, ahead of the $200-to-$0 tax change, typical daily volume on e-Forms for suppressors, SBRs and SBSs would hover closer to around 2,500.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the NFA requires registration of all sound-suppressing devices that attach to a gun barrel to be registered with the ATF, it provides a process for people to register their own homemade designs. In the same way that somebody buying a suppressor from a store would have to fill out an NFA registration form and get the ATF to approve it before taking possession of the device, a home builder has to submit their intent to build one and get approval before actually constructing the device.<\/p>\n

Clark went through that process with his potato suppressor design. He said he made sure to keep potatoes out of his house while he waited to hear back from the ATF.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs of this moment, I have the serialized washer, and I have the potato, but I haven\u2019t put it together,\u201d he told\u00a0The Reload<\/em>. \u201cThere\u2019s a manufacturing buffer on that from approval; you have to wait. Plus, that\u2019s a whole thing of like, what is your manufacturing intent? Does it count when you\u2019ll buy the potato? Is it having any potato in your house? Any potato products?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Potato<\/a>
Potato silencer registration submission form \/ Zachary Clark<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While Clark\u2019s registration effort is something of a troll, gun-rights lawyer Matt Larosiere noted it isn\u2019t entirely a laughing matter.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThe terms \u2018firearm silencer\u2019 and \u2018firearm muffler\u2019 mean any device for silencing, muffling, or diminishing the report of a portable firearm. So, the definition is pretty broad with respect to a silencer itself, as opposed to the definitions covering silencer parts,\u201d Larosiere, who has dealt with many NFA registrations over the years, told\u00a0The Reload<\/em>. \u201cWe can see this going way back to ATF\u2019s precursors deeming the XM177 moderator a \u2018silencer,\u2019 even though it barely reduced muzzle report. On the other hand, we\u2019ve seen ATF consistently take the position in determination letters and when giving expert testimony, that a pillow or potato, when used \u2018for\u2019 diminishing the report of a firearm, are in fact \u2018silencers.’\u201d<\/p>\n

Larosiere said it doesn\u2019t really matter how significant the noise reduction is, either. What matters is whether the \u201cdevice\u201d is for reducing the noise or not. Which is relevant because Clark isn\u2019t the first person to have the idea of strapping a potato to the end of a gun in order to suppress the sound of gunfire. At least a few YouTube accounts have tested whether spuds can effectively silence gunshots, with\u00a0unimpressive results<\/a>, including\u00a0a test by licensed manufacturer SilencerCo<\/a>. (It\u2019s not clear whether those potatoes were officially registered with the ATF or not.)<\/p>\n

Additionally, there is some history of people misusing potatoes as suppressors in the real world. There have been several cases where people have attempted to use improvised potato silencers in crimes, with one case\u00a0wrapping up as recently as last year<\/a>. One incident was\u00a0reportedly inspired<\/a>\u00a0by a Hollywood depiction of a potato suppressor in season four of The Wire.<\/p>\n

Some lawmakers have also warned that the ATF\u2019s interpretation of what constitutes a silencer is overly broad and could include potatoes. In 2022, Republican Congressman Daniel Webster warned, \u201canyone with a potato in their home could be committing a felony\u201d in\u00a0a newspaper piece<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Clark said that history was on his mind when he decided to submit his potato silencer registration just after the ball dropped on New Year\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis seems to be what the ATF has run with historically,\u201d he said. \u201cAnything you could put on the end of the device that could, even if it\u2019s only a single time, suppress the noise of a gunshot, they consider that an NFA item. It\u2019s very similar to how you get the goofy historical samples of a rubber band or a shoelace being considered a machine gun, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

He reasoned that if he could be arrested for having an unregistered potato silencer, then it must be possible to register one as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was definitely some precedent to it. And, you know, and the argument is, if you can arrest me for possessing a potato suppressor, and I\u2019m constitutionally allowed to have a potato suppressor if I go through the process, then I should constitutionally be allowed to register a potato.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
An ATF Form 1 for a potato silencer \/ Zach Clark<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The ATF didn\u2019t respond to a request for comment on Clark\u2019s registration, but the approval suggests they agree. Although, the message Clark\u2019s approvals send is a bit muddled. It turns out he submitted three potato suppressors for ATF approval, but only two were approved.<\/p>\n

\u201cSerial number Samwise01 was denied,\u201d he said. \u201cBut Tate001 and Tate002 were approved.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said he ran into the same issue with the 3D-printed silencer designs he submitted.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt happened with some of my 3D-printed suppressors, too,\u201d Clark said. \u201cI had three that were denied that used the exact same documentation as the other 40 that were approved. So who knows? I\u2019m assuming with what\u2019s going on at the ATF right now, they\u2019re just flying through them. So, there might not even be a thought process. The person could just be clicking, yes, no, because there\u2019s chaos over there.\u201d<\/p>\n

He noted his potato silencer design is similar in construction to the 3D-printed design. But with a russet potato.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s similar to 3d printed ones, you get a metal washer, and you engrave the metal washer,\u201d he said. \u201cThen you use a bunch of epoxy and essentially, like, melt it together to where you can\u2019t remove the serialization without damaging it. Same as everything else.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clark said it\u2019s possible the ATF mistakenly approved his potatoes. He said the attention his registration has attracted could get it revoked if the ATF becomes embarrassed by the situation. But he said he isn\u2019t worried, and the agency revoking his registration could lead to more of the absurdity he\u2019s trying to highlight.<\/p>\n

\u201cI definitely think that\u2019s going to happen, but I\u2019m not like concerned legally, because, from what I\u2019m familiar with, what they would do if they did revoke it is, you have to give it back,\u201d he said. \u201cOkay, if you want to send an agent to my house to pick up this potato, that\u2019s even funnier. I\u2019m all for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said he may simply bake the potato for dinner if the ATF changes its mind and demands he destroy it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the legal implication of eating an NFA item?\u201d Clark asked.<\/p>\n

\"Top<\/a>
Top view of a gun equipped with a potato silencer \/ Zach Clark<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He also noted some further legal questions that arise when registering an organic item under the NFA.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you plant the registered potato and it creates more potatoes, are they under the same serial number?\u201d he asked. \u201cOr is that manufacturing?\u201d<\/p>\n

For now, Clark said he has no plans to submit any additional meme designs. However, he noted he isn\u2019t the only one taking advantage of the $0 tax to make a point about the breadth of NFA regulations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are other people that have talked about submitted forms for pillows. One is particularly funny because, for the documentation, it\u2019s just a picture of Mike Lindell holding a My Pillow,\u201d Clark said. \u201cPeople have submitted forms for Monster Energy cans. So, there are definitely a lot of people that are going that angle.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the end, Clark framed his potato silencer as a form of activism that uses levity to spotlight what he views as a serious problem with the NFA.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrying to have fun while taking on the government is the best way to do it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Man Successfully Registers Potato as Silencer \u201cTATE001\u201d That\u2019s the official serial number of what appears to be the first legally registered 9mm potato silencer, according to a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF)\u00a0registration form obtained by\u00a0The Reload. It\u2019s registered to a man named Zach Clark, who said he pulled off the feat as … Continue reading “”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,36,80],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-114646","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bureaucraps","category-gun-schtuff","category-you-cant-make-this-up"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114646","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=114646"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114646\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":114647,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114646\/revisions\/114647"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=114646"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=114646"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=114646"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}