North Carolina Legalizes Use of Firearm Suppressors for Taking Wildlife
OutdoorHub 08.07.13
North Carolina will allow the use of suppressors on firearms while legally taking wildlife, effective Oct. 1. A suppressor, sometimes referred to as a “silencer,” muffles or minimizes the report of a firearm when it is fired.
This statutory change is not reflected in the 2013-2014 North Carolina Inland Fishing, Hunting and Trapping Regulations Digest, which was published by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission prior to the legislation being passed.
A hunter or trapper must meet federal requirements to own a suppressor, which include registering the device and paying a federal tax, along with a criminal background check processed by the sheriff’s office in the applicant’s county of residence.
“The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms administers the procedure to own a firearms suppressor,” said Maj. Todd Kennedy, field supervisor for the Commission’s Division of Law Enforcement. “The Wildlife Commission does not have any involvement in the process to obtain a suppressor.”
