Indiana Lawmakers Take Up NRA Hunting Bill

Opposingviews ^ | 17 February, 2012 | NRA

[marktwain]

After passing in the Indiana Senate with overwhelming bi-partisan support, NRA-backed Senate Bill 243 now awaits it’s hearing in the House Public Policy Committee. A hearing could be set as early as Wednesday, February 22.

SB 243 would allow Hoosiers to use lawfully-possessed suppressors (also referred to as silencers) on firearms for hunting. Currently, Indiana law permits use of suppressors for all shooting activities except for the taking of game. Enactment of SB 243 would ensure that hunting is treated the same way as other shooting activities with respect to the use of suppressors, and allow hunters to reap the many benefits suppressor use provides.

In order to acquire a suppressor, a purchaser must submit the appropriate paperwork to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives where long wait times for approval are unfortunately common (four to six months), undergo a background check by the FBI, find a licensed dealer authorized to conduct the transaction and pay a one-time $200 tax for each device. While suppressors do not eliminate the sound of a firearm, they do reduce the muzzle report in a manner similar to the way that a muffler reduces exhaust noise from a vehicle. The benefits associated with suppressor use include increased accuracy due to reduced recoil and muzzle blast, protection from hearing damage and reduced noise pollution.

Noise complaints are being used more frequently as an excuse to close shooting ranges, informal shooting areas, and hunting lands throughout the country. Increased use of suppressors will help to eliminate many of these complaints and protect hunting and shooting areas well into the future.

[marktwain]

The 1934 act making suppressors difficult and expensive to maintain has been a public health disaster, resulting in the loss of hearing for millions of citizens.

[2111USMC]

The $200 per device tax is a crime.

[riverrunner]

They should have added any suppressor made in Indiana wasn’t subject to federal law.

[deoetdoctrinae]

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[Godebert]

So is obama sitting in the whitehouse.

[Still Thinking]

Increased use of suppressors will help to eliminate many of these complaints and protect hunting and shooting areas well into the future.

But it's a bad trade if we're all still expected to obey the unreasonable federal rules, especially since permission to use suppressors today could morph into mandatory use tomorrow, thus FORCING people to submit to federal red tape and registration if they want to shoot.

This issue should be added to the Firearms Freedom Acts passed in 6 or 7 states so far and pending in others, reminding the feds that guns that have never been traded in interstate commerce are beyond their jurisdiction.