BILL NUMBER: S2099
SPONSOR: ORTT
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the environmental conservation law and the penal law, in
relation to removing prohibition on possession and use of firearm
silencers
 
PURPOSE:ò
This legislation would allow for the legal possession of firearm
suppressors.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 allows for the use of firearm suppressors for the use of hunt-
ing.
Section 2 allows for the possession of a firearm suppressor.
Section 3 clarifies that a firearm suppressor may use such device for
hunting.
Section 4 is the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Currently 42 states allow for the legal possession of a suppressor. Of
these 42, 38 allow their use for hunting. The ownership and possession
of a suppressor is legal under Federal law but extremely regulated,
including the payment of a $200 fee. If purchasing from a dealer you
must be 21, or 18 if purchasing from a private citizen. You must be a
citizen of the United States, and the background check for one takes
anywhere from 4 to 8 months to complete. Suppressors do not silence a
weapon, rather they suppress the noise made by it to between 20-35 dB.
An individual at a gun range who is continuously exposing themselves to
the repeated firing of a weapon could be doing extreme amounts of damage
to their hearing. Likewise, an individual who is hunting and is exposed
to the loud firing of their or someone else's weapon risks hearing loss
as well.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
S.696 of 2023/2024; Referred to Environmental Conservation
S. 3196 of 2021/2022; Referred to Environmental Conservation
S287 of 2019/2020; Referred to Environmental Conservation
S. 1209A Referred to Senate Environmental Conservation
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

Statutes affected:
S2099: 265.02 penal law, 265.02(2) penal law