So, apparently, everyone is talking about TN’s governor signing a bill into law that would make silencers legal here.
You’d think I’d be excited over this, but… meh.
The thing is that silencers were already legal here.
The previous state law stated that silencers were illegal, unless you were in compliance with the NFA. Yes, it was an affirmative defense instead of “yup, it’s legal,” so, in theory, a cop could arrest you for owning a silencer, book you, and then you get to show a judge the paperwork, and he then lets you free. To the best of my knowledge, this has never happened. Pretty sure that just about all interactions have basically been “you got paperwork for that?” “Yup, right here!” “cool, thanks.”
The only positive I see is that, if the Fed actually passes the Hearing Protection Act, there will be no ambiguity over how TN would handle possession of silencers. Of course, that’s a bill that hasn’t actually seen movement in the Senate since before Trump actually took office…
By the way, some news reports have stated that machine guns and short barreled rifles are illegal here. Same thing applies to them. If you have proof that you have your tax stamp, you’re cool.