Louisiana Suppressor Laws

Ownership Requirements

To own a suppressor in Louisiana, you must meet federal requirements:

• Be 21 years or older to purchase from a dealer (a trustee on a trust can be 18 or older)
• Be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident
• Be legally allowed to possess firearms
• Complete ATF Form 4 with fingerprints and photograph
• Pass FBI background check

Louisiana does not impose additional state requirements beyond federal law.

Hunting Regulations

Louisiana permits suppressor hunting by enumerated species rather than across the board. La. R.S. 56:116.6 lets a person authorized to possess a suppressor use one “when taking game birds, wild quadrupeds, outlaw quadrupeds, nutria, or beaver.” That is a permission written as a list. Species outside the list, alligator being the notable one, are not covered by the grant.

The same section adds a five year bar: a person convicted of a class four or greater hunting violation may not use a suppressed firearm for five years from the date of conviction. Use outside what the section permits is a class six violation under R.S. 56:36.

State-Specific Notes

Louisiana allows suppressor ownership under federal guidelines. Hunting with suppressors is permitted for all legal game, including deer and hog hunting.

How to Buy in Louisiana

The process for buying a suppressor in Louisiana is straightforward:

1. Choose a suppressor from Capitol Armory
2. Submit fingerprints and photograph online
3. Review and sign. Capitol Armory completes the paperwork, you sign digitally.
4. Wait for ATF approval (currently days to weeks for eForm)
5. After approval, we ship direct to your residence

Capitol Armory ships to Louisiana and offers direct-to-door delivery in all 42 suppressor-friendly states. See our complete buying guide for detailed steps.

What State Law Actually Says

Louisiana runs a state analogue of the NFA, and it is worth reading carefully. La. R.S. 40:1785: “No person shall receive, possess, carry, conceal, buy, sell, or transport any firearm which has not been registered or transferred in accordance with Title 18 or Title 26 of the United States Code as applicable.”

R.S. 40:1781(3) defines “firearm” to include “a muffler or silencer for any firearm, whether or not the firearm is included within this definition.”

Read the conjunctions carefully, because they do the work. The requirement is that the firearm has been “registered or transferred in accordance with Title 18 or Title 26 … as applicable.” That is written in the alternative. A suppressor transferred through a licensed dealer in accordance with Title 18, the Gun Control Act, satisfies the statute on its face without a separate Title 26 registration.

That reading is why Louisiana is conventionally grouped with the states that do not condition possession on NFA registration, and it is the reading we follow here. No Louisiana court has construed § 1785 in the context of the August 5 federal ruling, so treat it as the better reading of the text rather than settled law.

Local Rules and Preemption

La. R.S. 40:1796(A) bars any political subdivision from acting “more restrictive than state law” on firearms, components or accessories. La. Const. art. I, § 11 makes the right fundamental and subjects any restriction to strict scrutiny.

Worth Knowing

Suppressor hunting is permitted by enumerated species under R.S. 56:116.6, not across the board, and a class four or greater hunting conviction bars suppressor use for five years.