To leaders in Florida’s hunting community –
I wanted to make sure you had heard that at the upcoming September Commission meeting, FWC staff will propose a rule change to remove the restriction on the use of suppressors (i.e., silencers) on firearms for hunting in Florida. The issue is being covered by the news media. The staff background report will be available on our website several weeks before the September 10-11 Commission meeting. In the meantime, for your information, I’ve included below some background info we are using to communicate about this issue. Please let me know if you have any questions or would like to discuss it. I’d welcome any comments you may have.
Best,
Diane
1. This proposed rule is about removing an unnecessary restriction on hunters.
· FWC staff received requests to look into this issue.
· When we look at rules that have been in place for a long time, especially those that are restrictions, we ask ourselves whether the restriction is still needed. In this case, we determined that there was no need for any restrictions on the use of suppressors for hunting.
2. Suppressors are widely allowed across the country for hunting.
· Thirty-two other states currently allow their use for hunting game animals.
· This use has not been controversial.
3. Suppressors are already allowed for hunting in Florida under certain circumstances.
· Suppressors currently may be used
o on shotguns for taking wildlife classified as game (e.g., deer, squirrels, wild turkey)
o on private lands, on rifles and pistols for taking animals other than those classified as game (e.g., hogs, coyotes, armadillos)
o on lands in FWC’s management area system, for taking animals other than game and hogs.
· These allowances have not resulted in any significant concerns that we know about.
4. Firearms used with suppressors have a significantly reduced sound, but the sound is still noticeable.
· Suppressors capture the gases that escape a gun’s muzzle when it is fired.
· These gases are what produce the “bang”; therefore, suppressors significantly reduce a gun’s noise level.
· The noise is reduced to a volume that won’t damage a person’s hearing when shooting without the use of hearing protection.
· A suppressor can make a high-powered rifle sound more like a .22-caliber rimfire when fired.
Diane Roth Eggeman
Director, Division of Hunting and Game Management
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Read more:
http://forums.floridasportsman.com/showthread.php?164770-Silencers-soon/page4#ixzz3AIXgZyCI
