Paintball Gun Suppressor?

[LJ-MosinFreak-Buck]

Hey guys, I know this isn't technically firearms related, being involved with paintballing, but hear me out, I have a question that is related, to an extent.

Me and my buddies play a lot of paintball, including night-games when our schedules permit. Me and one of my buddies were talking about a suppressor for PAINTBALL USE ONLY, and I was wondering the legality of it.

Question 1: Can I LEGALLY make a suppressor for my paintball gun, and LEGALLY use said suppressor if it's sole use is for a PAINTBALL GUN?

Question 2: Does ATF see the suppressor as a firearm suppressor, and regulate accordingly?

These are some things I want to know before me and my buddy decide to proceed.

Thanks all.

 

[Swing]

You might want to check out this ruling. The summary at the bottom should address your questions:

Held, a device for an unregulated paintball gun, having a permanently affixed, integral ported barrel and other components, that functions to reduce the report of the paintball gun is not a “firearm silencer” or “firearm muffler” as defined, as the device is not one for diminishing the report of a portable firearm.

Held further, removal of the permanently affixed ported barrel and other components from a paintball gun is a “making” of a silencer under the GCA and
NFA that requires advance approval from ATF.

 

[LJ-MosinFreak-Buck]

Nevermind, thanks all. I just now re-read the ruling. Answer, in short, is NO, unless the barrel is permanent to the paintball gun.

 

[Telekinesis]

Yes, you can legally make a suppressor for a paintball gun. The bad news is that you've gotta do it on a Form 1 like any other suppressor. The ATF has decided that even though a paintball gun shoots a .68 caliber paintball, a suppressor for a paintball gun can still "work" on a real gun making it NFA.

So as long as it DOES NOT work for an actual FIREARM it's safe?

Yes, but you have to be careful. ATF's definition of a "functioning silencer" is one that reduces the sound of a gun by only one decibel. Whatever you make, be sure that it can not possibly work on a gun, even a little bit. If some cop thinks you're breaking the law and the ATF tests your silencer, I guarantee that they'll rule that it is a silencer (remember that the ATF ruled that just a shoe lace was a conversion part to make a machine gun.... )

 

[LJ-MosinFreak-Buck]

Re-reading the summary, it's only legal when permanently affixed to the barrel of the paintball gun, and the barrel has to be permanently affixed to the paintball gun itself. And since most, if not all, paintball guns on the market today have removable barrels, it's a little unfeasible for those who don't want to buy a whole new one and potentially ruin the marker.

 

[WardenWolf]

My honest advice is to buy a good Lapco barrel and don't worry about it. Their barrels are quiet and top-notch accuracy.

There's two schools of thought with paintball: try to make it quieter and not be heard (semi-effective) or try to make it LOUD and scare the <deleted> out of whoever you're shooting at (lots of fun!). An old-school brass pump makes for some hilarious muzzle blasts that echo off the hills like a rifle report. And some people put loudeners on the ends unported barrels to focus the sound downrange. I still don't envy the guy who got shot point-blank in the mask with my old Sheridan pump. But that's what you get when you try to surrender someone, do it stupidly, and tick the person off by jabbing your barrel into their kidney. I flicked my gun around and fired over my shoulder right into the guy's mask.

 

[LJ-MosinFreak-Buck]

There's two schools of thought with paintball: try to make it quieter and not be heard (semi-effective) or try to make it LOUD and scare the <deleted> out of whoever you're shooting at (lots of fun!). An old-school brass pump makes for some hilarious muzzle blasts that echo off the hills like a rifle report. And some people put loudeners on the ends unported barrels to focus the sound downrange. I still don't envy the guy who got shot point-blank in the mask with my old Sheridan pump. But that's what you get when you try to surrender someone, do it stupidly, and tick the person off by jabbing your barrel into their kidney. I flicked my gun around and fired over my shoulder right into the guy's mask.

People seem to love shooting me in my mask... LOL. I'm rockin' a new Spyder MRX (it sucks, but I figure I'll wait until some better aftermarket options come out for it before I do anything different to it.

The suppressor would be beneficial for night-games, as getting seen/heard equates to everyone swarming you, such is how the people I play with go about it. Buuut, maybe I'll just let it remain loud, because then when they rush in, all I have to do is wait. LOL.

 

[Sam1911]

Answered and going OT.