Some state lawmakers want to legalize gun suppressors, short-barreled weapons

Three Republican legislators announced they’re preparing bills for the opening of the 2027 Legislature in January that would allow more types of firearms and firearm accessories.

Gun suppressors (sometimes referred to as silencers) would become legal under proposed legislation, which would additionally allow for short-barreled shotguns and rifles, sometimes colloquially referred to as “sawed-off” weaponry.

Sound suppressors and short-barreled rifles and shotguns had previously been banned at the federal level, and state law currently prohibits their usage. However, the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives recently said it was no longer going to enforce certain aspects of federal law related to suppressors and short-barrelled firearms after an August decision in a court case in North Texas.

The ATF said it was “working as quickly as possible to issue new regulations to authorize federal firearms licensees” to transfer short-barreled rifles and shotguns under the Gun Control Act of 1968, a foundational piece of gun control legislation. The agency said in the meantime it won’t enforce the provisions.

“I have been working with ATF for months to issue guidance to Montanans and all Americans regarding the sale, transfer and manufacture of suppressors and (short-barreled guns) following a federal district court ruling striking down the National Firearms Act registration requirements on these items,” Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen said in a Facebook post. “We still have law changes necessary at Montana state level, but I’m confident we’ll get this done in the 2027 session.”

A nonprofit focused on reducing gun violence said suppressors make firearms “uniquely dangerous,” but Montana Republican legislators said they’re looking to push the legislation quickly.

“We never want to see the feds get ahead of Montana on protecting Second Amendment rights, so we’re going to axe these unnecessary regulations as fast as possible,” Sen. Wylie Galt, a Martinsdale Republican, said in a press release.

Galt requested drafts for the legislation in September and Sen. Carl Glimm, a Kila Republican, as well as Rep. Braxton Mitchell, a Flathead Republican, agreed to carry them during the 2027 session.

“This policy is especially beneficial to hunters as we eliminate the paperwork and fees standing between them and using a suppressor to protect their hearing,” Galt said in a press release. “As hunters head out into the field this fall, they can be confident that this is the last season with unnecessary restrictions and taxes on their ability to use suppressors.”

Contrary to popular culture, suppressors do not fully “silence” a weapon. They cool and redirect gas created by firing a weapon; that process is responsible for most of the sound of a gun being fired.  

Many hunters and shooting sports enthusiasts wear ear protection to preserve hearing.

Drafts for the two bills — one will be introduced in the Senate and the other in the House — are identical in an effort to fast track the legislation. They would trim certain parts of the law related to silencers, or suppressors, and eliminate a section about short-barreled weapons.

“We’ve all been chomping at the bit to get this done for Montana sportsmen and hunters since the court ruling,” Glimm said in a press release. “With the ATF’s new guidance making it clear that the only thing standing between shooters and freedom is Montana law, we’re going to update those laws immediately.” 

But suppressed weapons can be more difficult to track, according to GIFFORDS, an organization dedicated to reducing gun violence in the United States. The nonprofit was founded by former Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords who was herself a victim of gun violence. 

“These devices don’t actually reduce the sound by enough decibels to really protect someone’s hearing,” said Lindsay Nichols, the policy director at GIFFORDS Law Center. “What they do do is make it hard for a law enforcement officer or a witness to determine where the gunshot is coming from and to identify it as a gunshot. So that makes them uniquely dangerous because they can be used in ambushes and situations where a shooter wants to evade law enforcement.”

Montana had 247 gun deaths in 2024, with 212 of those ruled suicides, according to Johns Hopkins data. Additionally, Montana had the third-highest gun deaths via suicide and the highest highest gun death rate in the country overall among American Indian/Alaska Native people.

Montana Democrats said they were not involved with discussions around the bills and would take a portion during the session, said George Wolcott, Chief of Staff for the Montana Senate Democrats.

This story has been updated with comment from the Montana Democrats.