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That single day saw a record-breaking surge in filings. The ATF processed roughly 150,000 submissions on January 1 alone, a stark jump from the typical 2,500 daily applications. Clark says his potato registration was meant to shine a light on just how ridiculous the NFA has become.
“It’s a good way to highlight to normal people that like, ‘Yeah, this is dumb,'” Clark told The Reload. “This whole law is kind of dumb.”
Remarkably, the ATF’s approval suggests the agency believes a potato can qualify as a firearm silencer under federal law.
Gun-rights attorney Matt Larosiere explained the reasoning behind such rulings.
“The terms ‘firearm silencer’ and ‘firearm muffler’ mean any device for silencing, muffling, or diminishing the report of a portable firearm,” Larosiere said. “The definition is pretty broad.”
Under past ATF letters and testimony, even items as unconventional as potatoes or pillows can legally be considered silencers if used with the intent to reduce gunfire noise. Effectiveness, Larosiere notes, is irrelevant—the key is the device’s intended purpose.
Clark’s potato joins a long line of the ATF’s head-scratching approvals. In 2004, the agency ruled a 14-inch shoelace could qualify as a machine gun attachment, a decision later reversed after public backlash. The ATF has also once classified Chore Boy scrubbing pads as firearm parts.
Gun manufacturers have long complained about inconsistent ATF guidance. One company was told it could legally convert machine guns in 2005, only to have the approval rescinded the following year, costing half a million dollars and forcing the destruction of built weapons.
Clark said this history informed his decision.
“This seems to be what the ATF has run with historically,” he said. “Anything you could put on the end of the device that could, even if it’s only a single time, suppress the noise of a gunshot, they consider that an NFA item.”
Even Republican Congressman Daniel Webster warned in 2022 that under current ATF rules, “anyone with a potato in their home could be committing a felony.” Cases exist where criminals actually used improvised potato silencers, including a Michigan armed robbery last year.
While YouTube tests from companies like SilencerCo show potatoes barely reduce gunshot noise, the ATF’s broad definitions make practical results irrelevant.
Clark’s potato registration is not unique in the era of zero-dollar tax stamps. Others have attempted to register pillows, energy drink cans, and a variety of 3D-printed designs. Clark himself submitted over 40 designs for approval; most were accepted, but a few were randomly denied despite identical documentation.
“Serial number Samwise01 was denied,” Clark said. “But Tate001 and Tate002 were approved.” He attributes the inconsistency to chaos at the ATF as it struggles to process a massive influx of applications.
While the agency has not commented, Clark isn’t concerned about enforcement.
“If they did revoke it is, you have to give it back,” he said. “Okay, if you want to send an agent to my house to pick up this potato, that’s even funnier. I’m all for it.”
Clark also joked about potential legal dilemmas if he planted or ate the potato.
“If you plant the registered potato and it creates more potatoes, are they under the same serial number?” he asked. “Or is that manufacturing? … What’s the legal implication of eating an NFA item?”
President Trump’s NFA tax cut has inadvertently highlighted the absurdity of federal gun regulations. When potatoes, shoelaces, and pillows are treated as dangerous weapons while actual criminals ignore the law entirely, the ATF’s framework appears increasingly farcical. Clark’s potato silencer is now a symbol of just how out-of-touch federal firearm oversight has become.
