Down Range: May 2012

Not All States Allow Suppressors

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An error in our April 2012 test of 22 LR semi-automatic rifles, which included experimentation with a suppressor, stirred up a hornets’ nest of telephone calls, and we owe the wronged party an apology. The error had to do with the description of services available from Tactical Firearms of Katy, Texas, a Class III dealer and home to what is arguably the most advanced shooting facility in the United States. Whereas Tactical Firearms can help facilitate the licensing necessary for the purchase of suppressors in states outside of Texas, that does not include every state in the union, as the article claimed. Instead of referring to a one-time fee… “that according to Tactical Firearms is applicable to any state in the union,” it should have read “almost every state in the union,” or “every state in the union where suppressors are legal.” The offending text can be found on page 10 column 2 and in the caption on page 11. There was never any intention on the part of the author, Gun Tests Magazine, or on the part of Tactical Firearms to mislead the public or the authorities. As a service to our readers and shooters everywhere, Tactical Firearms has supplied us with a list of states where suppressors are legal. We are sorry for any inconvenience the good people at Tactical Firearms may have suffered as a result of our oversight.

Contrary to popular belief, silencers are and always have been legal to own under federal law. At this time, the following states allow private ownership of silencers: AL, AR, AK, AZ, CO, CT, FL, GA, ID, IN, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MS, MT, ND, NE, NV, NH, NM, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, WV, and WY.

N.J. High Court Tosses Gun Charges against Brian Aitken. A man who bought guns legally in Colorado — but was arrested and slapped with a seven-year prison sentence for not having a permit to carry them in New Jersey — had two of the three charges filed against him overturned by the state Supreme Court recently. Brian Aitken was arrested on Jan. 2, 2009, after he angrily left his mother’s house in Mount Laurel, N.J., and she called police, fearing that her son was suicidal after his ex-wife canceled his visitation session with their son, according to court documents.

When Aitken returned to his mother’s house and assured police that he was not suicidal, a state trooper searched his car and found three locked and unloaded guns, hollowpoint bullets, and large-capacity magazines in the trunk. He was sentenced on Aug. 27, 2010, to seven years in prison for the weapons offenses. The court concluded that the search of Aitken’s car stemmed from an officer responding to a call concerning his mental well-being — not because of a suspicion of criminal activity. GT

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