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How to Travel with a Suppressor

The ins and outs of hitting the road when a suppressor is part of your gear.

How to Travel with a Suppressor
(Photo courtesy of Brad Fitzpatrick)

A higher percentage of shooters own suppressors than ever before, and that’s a good thing. Suppressors—or silencers or cans, if you prefer—are fantastic tools for hunters and shooters because they cut down on recoil and muzzle blast, the primary catalysts for developing a flinch. It’s more fun to shoot suppressed, and most shooters find that their accuracy improves with a can in place. Last but not least, they’re quieter to your neighbors at the range and fellow hunters in the field. Since suppressors make shooting so much more enjoyable, it only follows that shooters should want to carry suppressors with them wherever they travel. But while companies like Silencer Central have demystified the rules for owning a suppressor, there are still some unknowns when traveling with a suppressor.

I went to Silencer Central’s president and founder, Brandon Maddox for answers about traveling with suppressors. Maddox is an avid hunter and shooter himself, and he spends a great deal of time on the road, generally with one or more suppressors in tow. When I asked him about the regulations regarding suppressors, he told me that you must understand the regulations in states you plan to travel to and through. “Forty-two states allow suppressor ownership, and you can hunt with a suppressor in 41 states,” Maddox told me. Only Connecticut allows suppressor ownership but does not allow suppressors to be used while hunting and there are nine jurisdictions that don’t permit suppressors at all: California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Washington, DC.

Let’s say you have to travel through one of them. Then what? Silencer Central’s Brandon Maddox told me that the application required to transport or export NFA items is not required for suppressors, which is a good thing, and the 1986 Firearms Owners Protection Act should, at least in theory, protect drivers who are traveling on federal highways.

However, the wording of state laws—or the interpretation of the wording of state law by law enforcement officers—can have an impact on what happens if you find yourself in a state where suppressors are illegal. The best bet is to avoid these areas if at all possible, and no matter where you go, your suppressor should remain out of sight and safely locked.

Gray Areas?

can with paperwork
(Photo Courtesy of Brad Fitzpatrick)

Other than those places, traveling with a suppressor is not an issue, Maddox says. He also told me that, according to law, only the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives criminal division and federal tax office can request your tax stamp paperwork. But oftentimes law enforcement or even game wardens will ask for the paperwork. Maddox advises that all tax forms be kept safely at home and digital copies be stored on your phone.

Flying domestically with a suppressor is rather simple, he says, and that has been my experience as well—although I have never flown to or connected through states where suppressors were illegal. You must declare a suppressor to the airline and carry it inside a locked checked bag. Things become more complicated when flying internationally or into states with restrictions on suppressors. For example, one of the shortest and cheapest flights to South Africa travels through Newark, New Jersey—a state where suppressors are banned. Theoretically, as a passenger in transit you would be all right with a suppressor.

But what happens if you have to stay overnight because of a canceled flight? Or what happens if you’re flying to Europe through Philadelphia for a hunt and suddenly find yourself rerouted through New York or New Jersey?

There’s a potential for problems, to be sure. The best option, Maddox says, is to have the airlines hold onto the bags if possible. In such an unfortunate situation, you’re basically helpless to avoid traveling to a state where the item is prohibited, and your best hope is to make certain that the bags remain at the airport and under airline control.

International Nuances

International laws vary widely on suppressors, Maddox says, and that’s what I’ve found to be true, too. Take, for instance, New Zealand—a country where bringing in a gun is difficult but suppressor ownership is unregulated. I jumped through the requisite bureaucratic hoops to get my rifle into the country, but bringing a suppressor was no issue at all. The same has been true of sub-Saharan African countries where I have hunted, although Maddox told me Zimbabwe regulates suppressors. In many places in Europe, hunting without a suppressor is viewed as rude. Canada does not allow any hunting with suppressors, but in other countries the rules are less black-and-white and could be open to interpretation. That’s why if you’re traveling internationally, going through a booking agent experienced in traveling with firearms can be a good idea. “We steer clients with suppressors away from the Newark flights to Africa,” says Darren Ginn of Travel Express in Montana.

Instead, he sends people on alternate routes. He does note that travelers going to Frankfurt need to list their suppressor on their firearms application. Booking agents will often handle paperwork like that for you, but I would ask the outfitter or PH in addition to the travel agency about traveling with suppressors.

Both Ginn and Maddox emphasized that hunters and shooters need to fill out a Form 4457 that includes their suppressors before traveling abroad—just like they do their firearms. This assures customs and immigration professionals you have your suppressor legally and did not ship it internationally prior to your departure.

Traveling with a suppressor is not difficult in most cases. Stay away from countries like Canada and U.S. states that don’t allow suppressors; check local laws; and have digital copies of your tax-stamp forms available to you. International travelers will also want to have a 4457 on hand when reentering the United States. Otherwise, travel with a suppressor is straightforward and simple. And it’s well worth the effort.

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