ST. PAUL – A bipartisan bill Rep. Mark Anderson, R-Lake Shore, authored to legalize the use of suppressors on guns in order to mitigate ear damage caused by firearm blasts passed the House 89-40 Thursday.
Suppressors are allowed in 39 states and Anderson's bill ensures an extensive background check occurs prior to permitting.
"It's a simple proposal to protect hunters from potentially permanent hearing damage," Anderson said. "All we are doing is providing a slight sound reduction from 145-165 decibels to 130 decibels. To put it in perspective, a chainsaw is 110 decibels. This is not a Hollywood-style silencer, just a suppressor and a way we can eliminate some of the damage gun blasts cause to our ears."
The federal process that would take place prior to permitting a suppressor includes a background check by a local chief law enforcement officer, the federal government, and the standard national instant background check.
A second part of the bill requires that Minnesota chief law enforcement officers meet the federal requirement of certifying that the applicant is not a prohibited person.
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