By Michael Bielawski

Devices that are attached to guns to make them shoot more quietly will now be allowed for legal use in Vermont.

An announcement by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation states, “On June 6 Governor’s Sportsmen’s Caucus Member, Governor Phil Scott, signed [H. 878] into law, removing the two-year sunset provision previously put in place by [S. 281) – which temporarily legalized the use of suppressors while hunting in Vermont two years ago.”

Rep. Pat Brennan, R-Colechester, sponsored the bipartisan bill along with Rep. George Till, D-Jericho. Brennan spoke by phone to VDC on Monday morning.

“They have been illegal for 100 years … they had a number of reasons.”

He said that game wardens were concerned because they thought that the sound would be so quiet that it would encourage hunters to do poaching [illegal non-permitted hunting]. Brennan explained that “they reduce it to below a dangerous level” but “you can [still] hear them.”

He said that Till, a physician no longer serving in the Legislature, was generally considered to be a gun control advocate but he was willing to work with Brennan on this policy from across the aisle politically. Till supported the bill as a ways of protecting hunters’ hearing. 

Sportsmen groups have been working for a long time for this development.

“After over a decade of efforts spearheaded by the Vermont Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), and our partners at the American Suppressor Association (ASA), Vermont’s sportsmen and women will now be able to take protect their hearing with suppressors while hunting indefinitely,” the CSF release states.

Quieter for the “hunter, game, and neighbors”

There are multiple benefits for hunters to be able to use these devices. They include protecting their ears from the loud shots, reducing the recoil and therefore increasing accuracy, as well as “the advantage of noise reduction for the hunter, game, and neighbors.”

Because urban development is consistently spreading near hunting grounds, the ability to silence shots is becoming more urgent.

Brennan said, “This bill includes the removal of the sunset on hunting with suppressors, thus codifying into permanent law. It has been a long but rewarding process and I am honored to have been a part of it.”

CSF’s Vice President, Policy, Brent Miller also put out a statement:

“This latest, and final authorization marks the 4th pro-suppressor bill Rep. Brennan successfully had signed into law, and suppressors are now fully authorized for both hunting and recreational shooting for all Vermont sportsmen and women and those visiting the state,” he wrote.

Silencer Central offers statistics regarding the technology, including that hunters don’t always take other precautions for their hearing.

“Unfortunately, our mindset often changes when switching from the range to the treestand. A study done by the National Hearing Conservation Association found that 70% to 80% of all hunters don’t wear any kind of hearing protection when they’re in the field,” their report states.

Dr. Daniel Fink, a noise pollution expert, is quoted in a report by FightForGunSilence.com on how gun noise can impact humans.

“Gunfire noise can cause immediate and permanent hearing loss, and it’s not just a problem for those who shoot guns but also for people who live near shooting ranges or in areas with frequent gunfire. The cumulative exposure to these loud sounds can have severe long-term consequences on hearing and overall health,” he states.

Not often used for crimes

A look at opposing arguments against the use of suppressors reveals that modern crime statistics do not support a need to ban them. The Trace wrote a piece generally arguing against the use of the technology.

“A review of federal prosecutions from 1995 to 2005 found only 153 cases during that decade in which a silencer was used in a crime,” they wrote. “The majority of those charges were for criminal possession of a silencer, not the use of the device in the course of a separate crime like murder.”

The report relies on historical accounts to illustrate that the concept of using a silencer for crimes is not unheard of.

“A dive into the New York Times archives from the decades between the silencer’s invention at the turn of the century and the devices’ regulation in the 1930s shows they were engineered for offensive purposes, and sometimes used in horrific crimes,” it states.

The author is a writer for the Vermont Daily Chronicle