WA State Law - Silencers
I heard it's illegal to own/carry/use a silencer in WA state. Is this true? Is it true for all other states?
Hopefully this is part of the AWB and it gets lifted....
Not sure.
kthx
Hopefully this is part of the AWB and it gets lifted....
Not sure.
kthx
0
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IT IS unlawful .FED. LAW not state law you can have if you are a class 3 dealer or LIC. holder and pay the tax. 0 -
Fire,silencer ownership is legal in most states including WA. It needs to be registered to you before you can posses it. Their is also a $200 tax that you have to pay. You will also need either your sheriff or chief of police to sign a form saying that you are not being investigated for anything. The registration process includes a full FBI background check. 0 -
I live in Washington and have been told that it is OK to own one, but it can not be used in this state. Must travel to a friendly state such as Oregon/Idaho. Best, Robert[;)]
"Endurance"<P><br>0 -
Contrary to popular belief, silencers are legal to own under federal law. There are, however, 16 states, plus the District of Columbia , that prohibit the civilian ownership of silencers. At this time, the following states allow private ownership of silencers: AL, AR, AK, AZ, CO, CT, FL, GA, ,ID, IN, KY, LA, ME, MD, MS, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WV, WI, and WY. Of the sixteen states which do not allow civilian ownership, CA, IA, KS, MA, MO, and MI allow class 3 dealers and class two manufacturers to possess silencers. http://www.advanced-armament.com/owners.asp
A good link to silencer manufacturers:
http://www.fortliberty.org/military-equipment/firearm-gun-silencers-suppressors.shtml0 -
RslinIII, it is legal to own in WA. Some counties may have laws against them though. You would have to check with your local athorities. WA would not make them legal to own, but not legal to use.
Jess0 -
Yes, sound suppressors (silencers called by the Feds) is legal to own
in WA state, provided one is qualified to own a 'firearm' in WA state,
or not precluded from possession by USCode/BATF. Yes, you can own, but
you cannot use. You can attach to firearm but you cannot use (decision
letter by Ken Eikenberry, AG about 20 yrs ago - i have letter if you
need). Yes, the cost of owning one is $sales cost, plus $200 transfer
tax to BATF. Tactical Innovations has some low end, reasonably effec-
tive silencers for about $200. The high end ones avg about $4-600
depending on caliber.
BATF "Form 4"
Fingerprints
Certification of compliance form
photos
your LEO endorsement saying you're not prohibited
$200
and wait for several months.
gonna get one? :-) I thought of getting one for the BFG but
decided to save my money...or get a suppressed 44Mag rifle to go
along with the 44mag Ruger Redhawk. raymond-
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RCW 9.41.250
Dangerous weapons -- Penalty.
Every person who:
(1) Manufactures, sells, or disposes of or possesses any instrument or weapon of the kind usually known as slung shot, sand club, or metal knuckles, or spring blade knife, or any knife the blade of which is automatically released by a spring mechanism or other mechanical device, or any knife having a blade which opens, or falls, or is ejected into position by the force of gravity, or by an outward, downward, or centrifugal thrust or movement;
(2) Furtively carries with intent to conceal any dagger, dirk, pistol, or other dangerous weapon; or
(3) Uses any contrivance or device for suppressing the noise of any firearm,is guilty of a gross misdemeanor punishable under chapter 9A.20 RCW.
[1994 sp.s. c 7 ? 424; 1959 c 143 ? 1; 1957 c 93 ? 1; 1909 c 249 ? 265; 1886 p 81 ? 1; Code 1881 ? 929; RRS ? 2517.]
NOTES:
Finding -- Intent -- Severability -- 1994 sp.s. c 7: See notes following RCW 43.70.540.
Effective date -- 1994 sp.s. c 7 ?? 401-410, 413-416, 418-437, and 439-460: See note following RCW 9.41.010.
"Endurance"<P><br>0 -
u can own 1 but you cant put it on your gun 
SEMPER FI0 -
Such restrictive laws are not all that unusual. Here in California you are allowed to own a very limited number of destructive device types (such as a functional cannon on a restored tank) after registering it with the CA DOJ and getting an expensive annual permit. You are then mandated to sign an agreement that you will NEVER fire the cannon inside the state of CA. As a result, very few people are interested in paying the state registration fee as well as the annual permit fee for a live cannon which can never be used in their home state and you cannot simply move a National Firearms Act weapon around, you need BATFE permission. Most of the restored armor vehicles here either have dummy guns or thier cannons have been fully and legally deactivated so that they will never be able to chamber or fire any type of ammunition. Very good job on the Washington State silencer laws RSLINTII and lets hope that this one is cleared up at long last.
Mark T. Christian0 -
Don't know why ND isn't included on that list from advanced armament, but it should. Ownership of NFA weapons are allowed by civilians...
"In God We Trust........All Others Go Thru NCIC"0 -
Keep in mind, suppressors have very limited usefulness.
Most do not "silence", just lower the level of the report. On many guns the suppressor will obscure the sights. The gun needs to have a threaded barrel, or an adaptor must be attached to it. Most semi-autos require tuning, as the decreased backpressure may prevent the slide from operating properly.
Many suppressors lose effectiveness after the first few rounds; they require cleaning to restore effectiveness. Less expensive ones will "wear out" sooner & require more maintenance.
The best suppressors for high power guns are produced for the military; IF you able to buy one, it will probably cost more than your gun. For civilian use, I believe that the integrated barrel conversions for Ruger .22 rifles/pistols offer a good value combined with high effectiveness.
Neal0
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