Understanding the TN Hearing Protection Act

What it means for purchasing a suppressor in Tennessee

If you live in TN and follow the firearm industry to any degree, you probably are aware of the countless articles on the TN Hearing Protection Act. But you might be totally confused on what really changed in the state of TN with Silencer Ownership. 

Back a few weeks ago, the governor of TN signed the TN HPA in which this bill made Silencers in Tennessee the way it looked on paper, legal. So, you might say, “Awesome! I can now go to any Gun Shop that has Silencers in Tennessee, and purchase a Silencer without going through the rigorous NFA process right?” Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Why? Because federal law trumps state law in this case. And you will not find any Silencer Dealer in TN that will take the chance of being made an example by the ATF. Class 3 dealers in Tennessee have to abide by strict stringent laws regarding anything labeled as Class 3. Unfortunately, at this time, Silencers are Class 3 items. With that said, at this time, in order to purchase a Silencer in TN, you will have to go through the NFA process. 

So, you might ask. Why the trouble to pass a state law regarding Silencers if nothing changes regarding ownership? Here is our thoughts on this matter.

1. Purchasing a Silencer in TN has always been illegal. However, TN allowed ownership of Silencers on the condition that an individual goes through the NFA process, which goes back to federal law trumps state law. So, what the state of TN did with this bill was to protect Silencer Ownership in Tennessee from becoming illegal if the actual Hearing Protection Act passes on a federal level. If the HPA did pass, and TN did not legalize Silencers in general, there would be no NFA process to override Silencer ownership being illegal in TN. This bill basically gets all the state’s ducks in a row if the HPA was to pass protecting Silencer Ownership in Tennessee. 

2. If anything, this bill was passed as a statement to Congress that it’s now time to do something about Silencer Ownership nationally. This bill shows Congress that state legislatures want something to be done on this matter. 

We at esilencers.com will continue for the time being, to provide the simplest fastest process for Silencer Ownership in Tennessee and Nationwide! Even though nothing changed with the Tennessee Hearing Protection Act, we are still working diligently to make the current process to purchase a Silencer in Tennessee, or even nationwide, as easy as possible!

We hope this article was informative.  Check out our suppressors online at www.esilencers.com.  

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