On October 18th, the Firearms Research Center, in conjunction with the Wyoming Law Review, hosted a symposium on the National Firearms Act (NFA) of 1934. The one-day event featured panels that examined many aspects of this major federal law.
The NFA was enacted in 1934 and was the first major federal restriction on certain types of firearms and accoutrements. The law required registration of machine guns, silencers (suppressors), and short-barreled rifles and shotguns. It also imposed a $200 tax stamp.
Many of these sessions were recorded. In this series, I discuss interesting aspects of each over the next few weeks. Several of these sessions are available for self-study CLE credit.
Hunting and the NFA
Kelly Todd, Regional Access Coordinator and Game Warden, Wyoming Game and Fish Department
The third video in our National Firearms Act Series was a lunchtime talk on the use of suppressors in hunting. Currently, hunting suppressed is legal in 41 states, one of those being Wyoming. Kelly Todd has spent his career working in the field of hunting and conservation. He fielded questions from the audience based on that firsthand knowledge.
A later video in this series will discuss the hearing-protection benefits of suppressors in depth. Outside of discussions on protecting user’s hearing, there is another conversation about whether hunting suppressed is fair to the animal. Todd’s discussion of principles of fair chase is what I found most interesting in his presentation. Many of the preconceptions in this area are rooted in the false belief that suppressors are silent. It also does not take into consideration the quietness of bow hunting which is universally accepted among hunters. Todd discusses that the argument of fair chase has more to do with the distance a hunter is away from the animal rather than a slight reduction in sound.