By Elwood Shelton, Gun Digest
As would be expected with suppressors, their popularity has silently crept up in the shooting world.
Presently, the gun accessory is legal to own in all but a handful of states. And, much to the joy of hog hunters, the noise-reducing device has been OK’d in many area’s for taking game.
Even with the growing acceptance of suppressors, there remains one major hurdle in the device becoming more commonplace – the National Firearms Act. The 1934 legislation regulates the ownership of the suppressors; in turn there are plenty of hoops to jump through to obtain one.
Perhaps, the most onerous aspect of being a NFA regulated accessory is the $200 tax stamp that must be paid to purchase a suppressor. This effectively more than doubles the price of most suppressors.
However, there is an effort afoot to have the legislation changed to make it easier to purchase a suppressor. Recently a petition went up on Whitehouse.gov in an effort to get suppressors removed from NFA regulation.
The text of the petition reads:
Removal of suppressors as an NFA regulated item would eliminate the $200 tax stamp, eliminate legality and travel issues between states, reduce hearing safety concerns related to discharging firearms, and would help people be courteous neighbors when discharging firearms.
Even though the petition won’t immediately affect change, it has the potential of getting more shooters interested in the issue. Texas-based retailer, the Silencer Shop, is among the petition’s supporters and has promoted the effort on their social media platforms.
The petitioners are aiming for 100,000 signatures by Aug. 5, 2014. Presently there are 5,245 people that have signed. For more information on suppressors, their use and legislation regarding them, please check out the American Suppressor Association. To see the petition Click Here.
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