In a move jointly celebrated this summer by Vermont hunters, gun owners who appreciate quiet shooting and the American Suppressor Association (ASA), Governor Phil Scott (R-VT) signed House Bill 878 into law, permanently legalizing the use of suppressors while hunting in Vermont. This historic move removes the two-year sunset provision initially placed in Senate Bill 281, which temporarily allowed suppressors for hunting purposes since 2022. Now, hunters in the Green Mountain State can protect their hearing in the field without fear of losing this right.

The push for this legislation was led by Representative Pat Brennan (R-Chittenden-9-2), a longtime advocate for suppressor rights. Brennan’s dedication to the cause dates back to 2015 when he was pivotal in legalizing suppressor ownership in Vermont. His efforts, alongside those of Representative George Till (D-Chittenden-3), culminated in the 2022 temporary authorization of suppressors for hunting, a provision that has now been made permanent.

“Working with Representative Brennan over the past twelve years has truly been one of the greatest privileges and honors of my career,” said Knox Williams, executive director of the ASA. “His tireless work and unwavering dedication is the reason why law-abiding citizens in the Green Mountain State no longer have to choose between jeopardizing their hearing and exercising their Second Amendment rights. What he was able to accomplish is nothing short of extraordinary. The suppressor community, as well as the people of Vermont, will forever be in his debt.”

The ASA, founded in 2011, has been instrumental in advocating for suppressor rights across the United States. Their efforts have led to the legalization of suppressors in three states and the approval of their use while hunting in 19 states. The ASA’s mission to promote suppressor ownership as “the hearing protection of the 21st century” has seen numerous successes, including the defeat of several state-level bans and significant improvements to transfer times under the National Firearms Act.

With the enactment of House Bill 878, Vermont joins 40 other states in allowing the use of suppressors while hunting. This milestone is a testament to the collaborative efforts of the Vermont Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus and the ASA.

For information on hunting suppressed, how to buy a suppressor and actually finding the right suppressor for your gun and needs, you can do it all in one place online: Silencer Shop has everything you need when it comes to going suppressed.

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34 COMMENTS

  1. ANTI-GUNNERS EMBARRASSINGLY SPANKED BY BRUTAL COURT ORDER..

    US District Court judge Iain Johnston issued a series of rulings in a 2A lawsuit involving Illinois laws banning carrying firearms on public transportation. Mark Smith Four Boxes Diner discusses the Schoenthal v. Raoul case in Chicago.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKEfOJpyT4I

    • Lot’s of folk’s carry on public transportation in Chiraq anyway. The lowlife criminals do. No metal detectors as far as I know. I was attacked on the EL some 39 years ago. Put a wall around Chee-ca-go. Have fun next month Dims🙄

      • Not all criminals are leftists, but all leftists are criminals. It follows that both Chicago and the DNC Convention will be entirely peaceful, albeit vocal – the criminal class not wishing to rock the boat at this time. Includes some minor mostly peaceful flag-burning by anti Semitic forces.

        But don’t jaywalk if you are pro-Israel or pro-Bill of Rights.

      • Not all criminals are leftists, but all leftists are criminals. It follows that both Chicago and the DNC Convention will be entirely peaceful.

      • Rest assured the vast majority of the I’ve got mine crowd is not on point fighting to end the bribe…Whether it be a can, huntin’ rifle, handgun or ammo it’s the age old I’ve got mine so what they do later won’t effect me mentality that strengthens Gun Control.

    • Unfortunately, the federal government still enforces their unconstitutional legal requirement to pay them a $200 tax before we can own a suppressor.

  4. Do silencers actually work for a shotgun? I’ve only ever seen them on shotguns in movies. And we know how accurate hollywood is in its portrayals of guns.

    Anybody have real world experience with shotgun silencers?

    • jwm,

      I have no experience with suppressors on shotguns. My only experience: I was next to someone who had a suppressor on a pistol-caliber (9mm Luger) carbine and centerfire rifle.

      It sure seems like the sound-reduction principle has to be the same regardless of the firearm platform. And think about cars with larger engines. Their engines have to produce greater sound levels than firearms–and they exhaust through large diameter pipes. And yet cars with well-designed mufflers are amazingly quiet. Speaking of, when I was a teenager, a friend drove a small motorcycle with a small (125 cc I believe) engine for a short time without any muffler or even a pipe on the cylinder exhaust port. It was insanely loud. Of course with a pipe and muffler it wasn’t loud at all.

      I have to think that a properly designed and installed suppressor on a shotgun would be every bit as effective as a suppressor on any handgun or rifle. As I mentioned in my other comment, whether or not a suppressed shotgun would be close to “hearing safe” would probably be a function of whether or not the projectile/s exit the muzzle at subsonic versus supersonic velocity.

      • Thanks, guys. I’ve used suppressors on handguns. Never on a rifle or shotgun.

        I do own handguns and rifle but I by far have more shotguns than any other type.
        I was just curious.

    • jwm – new poster here but hopefully i can help you. been reading the site a year or two but never posted until now. my friend has a SilencerCo Salvo-12 that i have personally shot, and it is awesome range toy, but not something i would take hunting or use for home defense… huge, heavy (about a foot long and ~2lbs on the muzzle at full length!) but with regular bargain birdshot it is just about hearing safe. with subsonic handloads (i made a handful of shells in the 850-950fps range to test out), it is an ear splitting grin and comfortable for at least a dozen shells without hearing protection. we generally use it goofing off busting clays, have not tried buck or slug through it yet.

      however, it dramatically changes the swing of the shotgun with that cinder block on the muzzle but we both break clays with it on the skeet field (mounted on a Mossberg 930). it can be reduced somewhat in length by buying additional ‘rod kits’ in order to remove segments (increasing the noise but reducing the length+weight a little). we have only fired bulk 100-pack birdshot and light handloads through it so far (on a unmodified Mossberg 930) and it cycles all ammo just fine. however the action is much filthier than usual, and at least 2 primers on the walmart Federal 100-pack promo loads blew out and lodged in the action, jamming the gun until the bolt was removed.

      my opinion is awesome range toy, if you have the coin to drop. suppressor, tax stamp, any shipping/FFL fees, length changing rod kits, and choke adapter mounts (different for each brand, iE Mossberg vs Rem vs Mobil or whatever guns you plan to mount it on) adds up to $1500-$2000 quickly. ‘perhaps’ useful for home defense on a NFA short barrel shotgun or Shockwave type gun, if you can get the barrel threaded and deal with the guns balance point being at the muzzle…

      JK Armament makes the only other 12ga suppressor that i know of, in 3 different versions (195 Versax 12, 195 SGX 12, 195 SBSX 12). thinner, much lighter, and uses a non-restricting choke tube mount – the end cap is your choke tube, so it should pattern like a normal choke. however both the Salvo12 and JK’s are at least 2″ in diameter and so will not work if you use na extended mag tube and will block one of the barrels on an O/U or SxS…i kind of want to try the JK but a range toy like that is not within my budget currently. hope that helped

      • Thanks! Your report mostly jibes with what I have always heard. Bottom line – shotguns make a lot of gas, really fast, so suppressors are bulky. The report of blown primers I have not heard before, and is definitely concerning.

        • thanks! glad i could finally contribute some useful information for once! i also found it curious that factory Federal (walmart 100-pack promo loads) birdshot had 2 primers come out (had a few more back out but not exit the hull completely) but my 50 or so worn-out STS-hulled handloads did not (7/8oz shot, my notes are at home so i forget exactly which wad and how much Clays i used. Nobel Sport or Cheddite primers, 4 different charge weights chrono’d between 850-950fps without the suppressor). ive run thousands of those Federal promo loads thru half a dozen different shotguns, and never once had an issue with them before. pressure obviously much lower in the light handloads but i have no way of accurately measuring pressure, only MV…

  6. While I certainly encourage everyone who can do so to use a suppressor for all shooting (including hunting), I want to caution everyone about a suppressor limitation. Even if a suppressor completely eliminates (which they do not) the “bang” of a gunshot, bullets which exit the muzzle at supersonic speeds (virtually all rifle platforms) create an ear-piercing crack.

    Of course any significant reduction in sound levels for the shooter (and even neighbors) is incredibly welcome. Realize that you will probably want hearing protection even with a suppressor when your bullet’s muzzle velocity is supersonic. For reference bullets with a muzzle velocity above 1,150 feet-per-second (give-or-take) are typically supersonic.

    • You cannit ask real world home invaders, murderers, rapists, kidnappers and perverts to wait while you put on hearing protection. Therefore grasshopper it is necessary to have practiced once, twice and maybe three times firing self defense weapons without hearing protection.

    • “…bullets which exit the muzzle at supersonic speeds (virtually all rifle platforms) create an ear-piercing crack.”

      Incorrect, there are numerous rifle calibers that can be loaded subsonic, like the .300 ‘Blackout’ round, based on the .556-.223 parent case…

  9. Dems Turn Nose At Supreme Court & Constitution To Control These Areas (note: (Dems say ‘fuc* the constitution, we are gonna do what we want and the heck with your rights’ … and basically say you do not have a 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 14th amendment right).

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MQoCVspmyI

  10. Kamala Harris (the anti-constitution, and political and racially driven, endorsing violence against gun owners and others, and endorses subjugation of all constitutional rights to the government to be controlled by the president via rule by fiat through executive order to be privilages – yes, that Kamala Harris who wants to be ruling Monarch of the United States), Marx-ist socia-list extremist) says: 2A ‘Extremists’ Want Armed Teachers & Refuse Common Sense Gun Control Laws.

    Kamala Harris mocked “Extremists” who want teachers to be armed for classroom defense against mass shootings during her campaign speech to the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sKVbJW6p84

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