Ohio residents got the welcome “go-ahead” on suppressor ownership in March, joining 40 other states—the good news. The less-good news is that, like anything that falls under National Firearms Act (and BATFE) control, the wait for approval of paperwork will almost certainly be months. Occasionally, it can be years.
The rationale for expanding suppressor use is that they make all sorts of shooting less disruptive to all manner of bystanders. (A typical one cuts initial report from a literally deafening 145-165 dB to a still-loud 115-130 dB. For comparison, a close-up, very loud shout is 90 dB.) They can also substantially reduce hearing damage: As their growing legion of fans say, using one is “the polite thing to do.”
We hope that BATFE, as promised, will speed up the process allowing purchase of the devices. Considering the $200 fee they receive for every app, surely months or years to approve is unreasonable.
