This past summer, Missouri passed a law that, among marking a great many other advances in gun rights, made firearm sound suppressors (popularly, but inaccurately, referred to as "silencers") far easier to legally own. Previously, only those with a federal firearms license (FFL), as is required for gun dealers, could own suppressors in the state. Missourians are still, of course, unfortunately under the thumb of the onerous federal laws regulating suppressors ($200 tax stamp for each suppressor, detailed background check with fingerprints, the legal jeopardy one places oneself in by owning both suppressors and "Chore Boy" pot scrubbers, etc.).
The federal laws regulating suppressors have been in place since 1934, as part of the National Firearms Act (NFA), which also severely restricts fully-automatic firearms, short-barreled rifles and shotguns, etc. Conventional wisdom argues that any attempt to weaken the shackles of the NFA is doomed to failure, and a waste of political capital. Admittedly, it is inevitable that any serious attempt to do so will be met with horrified/outraged shrieks of, "They want kindergarteners to carry silenced Uzis to school!" from the gun prohibitionists.
Still, the successful loosening of Missouri's suppressor laws, along with the Michigan Attorney General reinterpreting state law as not restricting suppressor possession beyond federal law, perhaps indicates a significant change in attitudes regarding suppressors. That possibility may be what has perhaps motivated the NRA to challenge the status quo, as seems to be indicated by this NRA article from a couple weeks ago:
It's time that policymakers--legislators, wildlife commissioners and gun club board members--move to eliminate the laws, regulations and policies that discourage or prohibit suppressor use. In addition to decreasing the incidents of permanent hearing loss, it will help keep the shooting sports alive and well by decreasing the calls to close shooting areas and hunting lands. Suppressors may not be for everyone, but that's the best aspect of freedom--it is your choice
Granted, a single article does not by itself constitute a strong legislative push, but such an article would be a logical first step in paving the way for such an effort.
It is an effort long overdue. Suppressors are safety gear, something one might expect to be popular with self-proclaimed "gun safety" groups--but don't hold your breath. As the NRA article points out, in several European nations--where most aspects of gun ownership are regulated to an extent that would thrill domestic "gun control" groups, suppressors are sold with no more legal control or scrutiny than is required for commerce in screwdrivers, and use of them is not only permitted, but actively encouraged, to control noise pollution.
The NRA tends to get some rather rough treatment in this column, but a serious effort to lift the draconian federal suppressor laws would be a laudable endeavor on NRA's part, and would perhaps be a far less quixotic quest than "conventional wisdom" holds it to be.
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