Are silencers or suppressors legal in Ohio?
- Yes. Silencers are legal if you use them for certain types of animal hunting.
- Ohio law states that you can use a silencer or suppressor while hunting game birds or wild quadrupeds.
- Game birds are defined as the following:
- Mourning doves
- Ringneck Pheasants
- Bobwhite quail
- Ruffed grouse
- Sharp-tailed grouse
- Pinnated grouse
- Wild Turkey
- Hungarian partridge
- Chukar partridge
- Woodcocks
- Black-breasted plover
- Golden plover
- Wilson’s snipe or jacksnipe
- Greater and lesser yellowlegs
- Rail
- Coots
- Gallinules
- Duck
- Geese
- Brant
- Crows
- Wild Quadrupeds are defined as the following
- Cottontail rabbits
- Gray Squirrels
- Black Squirrels
- Fox squirrels
- Red squirrels
- Flying squirrels
- Chipmunks
- Groundhogs
- Woodchucks
- White-tailed deer
- Wild boar
- Elk
- Black Bears
- Minks
- Weasels
- Raccoons
- Skunks
- Opossums
- Muskrats
- Fox
- Beavers
- Badgers
- Otters
- Coyotes
- Bobcats
- Game birds are defined as the following:
What are the requirements to owning a suppressor / silencer in Ohio?
- Federal law defines a silencer / suppressor as a firearm.
- You need to be authorized to possess a firearm under state and federal laws.
- Need to be 21 years old
- Need to register the suppressor / silencer in accordance with the National Firearms Act
- The national firearms registration requires identification of the silencer / suppressor, date of registration, and identification and address.
- You need to be able to pass the National Criminal Background Check System
- You must have a valid hunting license under Ohio law (Ohio Revised Code 1533).
- You need to pay a $200 transfer tax.
What happens if I illegally use a silencer in Ohio?
- If you commit a felony while using a silencer / suppressor in Ohio, you can receive a 6 year mandatory gun specification sentence.
Contact Meis Law to determine if you are eligible to purchase a suppressor / silencer in Ohio.