Legalization of Gun Suppressors Successful in Iowa After State Governor Signs Bill into Law

Civilian gun owners in Iowa have received good news. A bill that legalizes civilian ownership and use of suppressors has been signed into law by Governor Terry Branstad.

This action signifies Iowa as becoming the 42nd state to legalize suppressors.

The bill, House File 2279, was first introduced by Rep. Matt Windschitl and Rep. Terry Baxter; it passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 2, 2016 before it was moved through the House and the Senate, then on to Governor Branstad.

Iowa’s legalization of suppressors is a testament to the three-year effort by the American Suppressor Association, the National Rifle Association and the Iowa Firearms Coalition to educate lawmakers on the benefits and functions of suppressors.

States in which suppressors are still illegal, and so are the use of them for hunting

According to a map provided by the American Suppressor Association, suppressors are still illegal in California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island.

39 states, however, allow for the legal use of suppressors for hunting. While it’s legal for shooters in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Connecticut to have a gun suppressor, they cannot use them for hunting purposes.

More victories planned ahead

The victory in Iowa brings hope to the other states in which it is still illegal for civilians to own suppressors. The American Suppressor Association will now focus on its “No State Left Behind” campaign toward the eight states where suppressors are still illegal.

Gun owners in the Hawkeye State are definitely happy about the legalization of suppressor use, and it’s a great victory for the American Suppressor Association.

According to KCCI in Des Moines, the law was signed at the Brownells retail store in Grinnell. Brownells is the world’s largest supplier of firearms accessories and gunsmithing tools. Governor Branstad told KCCI, “This is something that certainly commonly used in other parts of the country,” said Branstad. “I don’t see why Iowa shouldn’t have the same opportunity.”

NRA accurately defines gun suppressor to those referring to them as “silencers”

The NRA posted an explanation of the legislation. It clears up confusion on the issue by stating that their “primary function is to reduce the muzzle report of the firearm to which they are attached, protecting the hearing of the firearm’s operator and reducing noise and disturbance to those in nearby vicinities.”

It adds that the term “silencers” is an incorrect term for suppressors. The device is not completely silent, as the misnomer implies. Suppressors make firearms “safer and quieter to operate, reducing the sound that reaches the shooter by about the same degree as a pair of earplugs or earmuffs.”