What HB 234 Means to You: Part VI - Allow Noise Suppressors While Hunting
On March 23, 2015 several changes to Ohio law that are of particular significance to Ohio gun owners will take effect. This article will look at changes that will allow hunters to use noise suppressors.
The use of suppressors while hunting is rapidly growing in the United States. Over thirty states allow the use of suppressors for some form of hunting, with most allowing them for all types of hunting. All states contiguous to Ohio, except Michigan, allow the use of suppressors for all types of hunting. Indiana passed their law in 2014.
As of the effective date, HB 234 authorizes a person who holds a valid hunting license to use a suppressor attached to an authorized gun while hunting game birds or wild quadrupeds (R.C. 1533.04). The Act exempts a person who owns a firearm muffler or suppressor attached to a gun that is authorized to be used for hunting from the existing prohibition against knowingly acquiring, having, carrying, or using any dangerous ordnance (R.C. 2923.17). Finally, the Act Replaces "silencer" with "suppressor" within the definition of "dangerous ordnance" and in provisions requiring mandatory prison terms for conviction of a firearms specification (R.C. 2923.11(K), 2929.14(B)(1)(a)(i), and 2941.144(A)).
The use of suppressors will greatly benefit predator, varmint, coyote and groundhog hunters. Coyote hunting is primarily done in the early morning, late evening or even into the night. The use of suppressors will not only offer hearing protection for the hunter but allow him/her to be a good neighbor. Trappers may find suppressors a useful tool. They often trap close to developed areas or where streams run along a roadway. Should they be required to dispatch an animal, they can do so using a suppressor-equipped firearm quickly and in an environmentally-friendly way.
Suppressors are tightly controlled through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE). Anyone wishing to possess a suppressor must apply through the BATFE, pass a background check and pay a federal tax of $200. Additionally the county sheriff or controlling law enforcement officer must approve the application. The owner of the suppressor must always be in possession of the suppressor and carry proof of the approved paperwork for the suppressor.
The use of suppressors while hunting is a valuable tool as an aid in hearing protection and being a good neighbor. It is making another safety tool available to hunters.
Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Secretary, BFA PAC Vice Chairman, and an NRA-certified firearms instructor. He is the editor of BuckeyeFirearms.org, which received the Outdoor Writers of Ohio 2013 Supporting Member Award for Best Website.
Outdoor writer and hunter education instructor Larry S. Moore is a long-time volunteer leader for Buckeye Firearms Foundation and winner of the 2005 USSA Patriot Award, the 2007 League of Ohio Sportsmen/Ohio Wildlife Federation Hunter Educator of the Year, the 2010 National Wild Turkey Federation/ Women in the Outdoors Hunter Education Instructor of the Year and the 2014 Ohio NWTF Outdoor Writer of the Year.
Related Articles:
What HB 234 Means to You: Part I - NICS compliant background checks
What HB 234 Means to You: Part II - Reciprocity
What HB 234 Means to You: Part III - 31+ round magazines & non-contiguous transfers
What HB 234 Means to You: Part V - CHL mandatory training reduction
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