If that's the case, then I think the consensus is pretty clear.
On a federal level (or if you live in a state that allows silencers) getting an approved form 1 completed prior to buying a kit eliminates any legal risk. There would be no basis for prosecution if you paid the tax and got approval before you even bought the component parts.
However, there is legal risk in MA in just possessing component parts of a silencer.
Where is MA law does it say that possessing component parts is illegal?
Section 10A: Selling, giving or using silencers; confiscation and destruction
Section 10A. Any person, other than a federally licensed firearms manufacturer, an authorized agent of the municipal police training committee, or a duly authorized sworn law enforcement officer while acting within the scope of official duties and under the direct authorization of the police chief or his designee, or the colonel of the state police, who sells or keeps for sale, or offers, or gives or disposes of by any means other than submitting to an authorized law enforcement agency, or uses or possesses any instrument, attachment, weapon or appliance for causing the firing of any gun, revolver, pistol or other firearm to be silent or intended to lessen or muffle the noise of the firing of any gun, revolver, pistol or other firearm shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than five years in state prison or for not more than two and one-half years in a jail or house of correction. Nothing contained herein shall be construed to prohibit a federally licensed firearms manufacturer from selling such instrument, attachment, weapon or appliance to authorized law enforcement agencies for law enforcement purposes or to the municipal police training committee for law enforcement training. Upon conviction of a violation of this section, the instrument, attachment or other article shall be confiscated by the commonwealth and forwarded, by the authority of the written order of the court, to the colonel of the state police, who shall destroy said article.
Silencer parts are no more illegal that an oil filter, I would say.
As long as it's not drilled out I would think a person can not be charged.
There is nothing in the law that talked about having the parts alone.
In Mass, a double edge knife (longer than 1.5 inches) is illegal.
Does that mean a single edge knife that the other side which has not been filed down would be illegal?
Even if a person intends to make silencer parts in the future, unless he does - I can't see him being charged with a crime unless he does.
From article:
In the search warrant filed by Massachusetts State Police Trooper Steven Grasso, who is assigned to Healey’s office, the trooper states the federal and local investigators noticed packages containing solvent traps, which are attached to the barrel of a gun and used to catch cleaning fluids, and fuel filters, used for vehicles, were being shipped to the U.S. from China.
Some of those shipments came to Massachusetts.
Both items are legal to possess but can be transformed into silencers. YouTube videos and instructional manuals on how to convert the items can be found online in a matter of keystrokes.
The discovery of "ghost guns" in Massachusetts was detailed in a search warrant affidavit.
www.masslive.com