Statute-cited, last verified 2026-07-10
Suppressors are legal to own in 42 states with federal NFA compliance and banned in eight states plus Washington, D.C. The eight ban states are California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island. Connecticut is the lone split: ownership is legal there under the NFA, but using a suppressor while hunting is prohibited. The state ban states prohibit possession even with an approved federal Form 4.
As of January 1, 2026 the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed July 2025, zeroed the federal making and transfer tax on suppressors, which was formerly $200. The stamp itself now costs nothing, but the process did not go away: Form 4 or Form 1, fingerprints, the NICS background check, and NFA registration are all still required. ATF eForm approvals currently run days to a couple of weeks, not the year-long waits of the past.
Watch the outdated talking points. Minnesota is legal with no separate state or local suppressor permit; its statute only criminalizes suppressors not lawfully possessed under federal law, so the old "Minnesota needs a local law-enforcement permit" line is wrong. Repeal bills have moved in several ban states, but none had passed as of July 2026, so New York, California, and the rest of the ban list remain in force.
These nine jurisdictions ban suppressor ownership, and Connecticut allows ownership but bans hunting use. Each row cites the statute and any narrow law-enforcement or wildlife exemption; the state bans apply even with an approved federal stamp.
| State | Status | Rule | Statute / Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | Banned | Possession of a silencer by any person, firm, or corporation is a felony. | Cal. Penal Code § 33410 |
| Connecticut | Restricted | Suppressor ownership is legal, but using a silencer on any firearm while hunting is prohibited. | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 26-75 |
| Delaware | Banned | Possessing a firearm silencer as a destructive weapon is a class E felony, even with a federal NFA stamp. | 11 Del. C. § 1444 |
| Hawaii | Banned | Manufacture, possession, sale, or acquisition of a silencer is a class C felony. | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 134-8 |
| Illinois | Banned | Possessing any device designed or intended to silence the report of a firearm is unlawful use of weapons. | 720 ILCS 5/24-1(a)(6) |
| Massachusetts | Banned | Selling, keeping for sale, giving, using, or possessing a silencer is prohibited. | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 269, § 10A |
| New Jersey | Banned | Knowingly possessing a firearm silencer is a crime of the fourth degree. | N.J. Stat. § 2C:39-3(c) |
| New York | Banned | Possessing a firearm silencer is criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, a class D felony. | N.Y. Penal Law § 265.02 |
| Rhode Island | Banned | Manufacturing, selling, purchasing, or possessing a silencer is unlawful. | R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-47-20 |
| District of Columbia | Banned | Possession of a firearm silencer is prohibited as an illegal dangerous weapon. | D.C. Code § 7-2502.02 |
Exempts law enforcement agencies listed in Penal Code § 830.1, the military, and on-duty peace officers authorized by their agency (§ 33415).
Ownership under the federal NFA is permitted; only hunting use is banned. Verified current as of July 2026: 2025-2026 bills sought to repeal the hunting-use ban but it still stands.
Exempts military members, authorized Delaware police, and certified state or federal wildlife biologists for wildlife disease or population control. No 2025-2026 repeal has passed; the ban remains in force.
Silencers are grouped with automatic firearms and other prohibited devices; conviction carries a mandatory 5-year term without probation.
Ban remains in force in 2026. A federal challenge was rejected: the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois upheld the ban, holding suppressors are not arms under the Second Amendment.
Exempts federally licensed manufacturers selling to law enforcement, the municipal police training committee, and sworn law enforcement officers on duty. Punishable by up to 5 years in state prison.
Exempts armed forces and National Guard members and duly authorized on-duty law enforcement, plus a narrow special deer-management permit exception. Manufacture, transport, and sale are separately barred by N.J. Stat. § 2C:39-9.
The state ban applies even with an approved federal Form 4. Possession is also addressed under Penal Law §§ 265.00 and 265.01; a repeal bill was pending but not enacted as of 2026.
Exempts law enforcement tactical-team officers acting within official duties under direct supervision. Punishable by imprisonment of not less than one year and one day.
Silencers are among the weapons that cannot be registered or possessed; no hunting, sport, or self-defense exception. Related possession offenses appear under D.C. Code § 22-4514.
Minn. Stat. § 609.66 criminalizes only suppressors not lawfully possessed under federal law; there is no separate state or local suppressor permit. The 'MN requires a local LE permit' line is an outdated talking point.
Suppressors are legal to own in 42 states with federal NFA compliance, including Texas, Florida, Arizona, Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota. Legal ownership everywhere still requires a Form 4 or Form 1, fingerprints, a NICS check, and NFA registration.
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.
Suppressors are federally legal to own under the NFA. As of January 1, 2026 the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (signed July 2025) zeroed the federal making and transfer tax on suppressors, formerly $200. Form 4 or Form 1, fingerprints, the NICS background check, and NFA registration are all still required; ATF eForm approvals currently run days to a couple of weeks.
Suppressors are legal to own in 42 states with federal NFA compliance. They are banned in California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Washington, D.C. Connecticut allows ownership but bans suppressor use while hunting.
No. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, effective January 1, 2026, zeroed the federal making and transfer tax on suppressors, which used to be $200. The stamp is free now, but you still file a Form 4 or Form 1, submit fingerprints, pass a NICS background check, and register the suppressor with ATF.
ATF eForm approvals on suppressors currently run on the order of a few days to a couple of weeks. The registration process itself is unchanged: Form 4 or Form 1, fingerprints, and a NICS background check are still required in every state where suppressors are legal.
No. Connecticut allows you to own a suppressor under the federal NFA, but Conn. Gen. Stat. § 26-75 prohibits using a silencer on any firearm while hunting. Repeal bills in 2025 and 2026 sought to lift the hunting ban but it still stands.
No separate state permit. Minnesota law only criminalizes suppressors that are not lawfully possessed under federal law, so once you complete the federal NFA process there is no additional state or local suppressor permit. The claim that Minnesota requires a local law-enforcement permit is outdated.
No. Both ban possession outright. In California, possessing a silencer is a felony under Penal Code § 33410, and in New York it is criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree under Penal Law § 265.02. Both bans apply even if you hold an approved federal Form 4.