Are Silencers Really Legal?

By johntitsworth

Silencers are legal for civilians to own in 39 of the 50 states in the United States.  If you can buy an handgun, then you can buy, own and use a legal silencer.  Here are the states you can own silencers in:

AL, AK, AR, AZ, CO, CT, FL, GA, ID, IN, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MI, MO, MS, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WV, WI, and WY.

There are no “license requirements” to own a silencer.  However if you live in Missouri, you will need a C&R license to buy a silencer.  More info can be obtained on how to get this useful license here:

http://www.garandgear.com/how-to-aquire-your-car-license

If you are a law enforcement officer your agency may obtain suppressors directly from any licensed manufacturer or dealer, usually at a discount.  However if you are a law enforcement officer and want to buy a silencer for personal use, you would follow the same rules that any citizen would follow.

99.9% of the time, you must obtain your silencer from a transferring dealer IN YOUR OWN STATE.  You can buy a silencer from an out of state dealer, but a in state dealer must actually transfer the suppressor to you.  You can buy a legal silencer from someone in your state that already owns the suppressor without going through a dealer, but this is usually a rare occurrence.