Look, I've been selling suppressors to law-abiding Ohioans for years. These are responsible gun owners who want to protect their hearing and shoot responsibly. But here's the thing that grinds my gears - Ohio law currently treats suppressors like explosives. That's right, under Ohio Revised Code, a simple hearing protection device is classified as "dangerous ordnance" alongside grenades and rocket launchers. How does that make any sense?
The good news is our state Senate get it. Back in March, they passed SB 214 by a 31-1 vote - that's overwhelming bipartisan support to remove suppressors from Ohio's dangerous ordnance definition. The bill would fix a broken system where lawful suppressor ownership depends entirely on federal NFA registration.
Here's why this matters right now: A federal court just ruled in Silencer Shop Foundation v. ATF that the ATF can't enforce NFA registration requirements for suppressors. That's great news for gun owners, but here's the catch - if those federal requirements disappear, Ohio's outdated state law doesn't automatically update. That means an Ohioan could legally own a suppressor under federal law but still technically violate state law because our statute is stuck in the 1930s.
Under current Ohio law, possessing a suppressor that's not registered in the NFRTR could land you a fifth-degree felony. That's insane for a device that reduces noise and protects hearing. The only reason most suppressor owners avoid trouble is the exemption in R.C. 2923.17(C)(5) that references federal registration. But if that federal registration goes away, so does that protection.
SB 214 is a no-brainer. It doesn't change federal law at all - it just updates Ohio's statutes so we're not left with a trap for gun owners. The Senate did their job. The House Public Safety Committee held hearings in June. Advocates testified. The need is crystal clear.
Now the House needs to finish the job. Call your representative and tell them to get SB 214 out of committee and to the floor for a vote. We've got law-abiding Ohioans wanting to protect their hearing, and we've got legislators who need to stop dragging their feet. This isn't complicated - it's a straightforward fix that should have been done years ago.