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Pennsylvania Suppressor Laws

Suppressors are legal in Pennsylvania. Hunting with suppressors is permitted.

Reviewed by Diego Lopez, Head of Enforcement · Last reviewed August 21, 2026

Legal
Ownership Status
Allowed
Hunting Status
Federal
Requirements
$0
Tax (2026)

August 5 NFA Ruling

Updated August 21, 2026

A federal court ruled that the government cannot enforce certain NFA registration requirements against the parties covered by that case. It is not a repeal of the NFA, it is not nationwide, and it does not change state law.

Pennsylvania: the state statute does not give a clean answer. The word “silencer” does not appear in 18 Pa.C.S. § 908, or anywhere in Chapter 61. The closest the statute gets is banning a “firearm specially made or specially adapted for concealment or silent discharge,” which reaches a firearm, not a standalone suppressor. Possession of an offensive weapon is a first-degree misdemeanor, and § 908(b)(1) supplies a defense for a person who, with stated exceptions, “complied with the National Firearms Act.”

Read how this may affect you →

Ownership Requirements

To own a suppressor in Pennsylvania, 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

Pennsylvania does not issue a state suppressor permit, and no Pennsylvania statute names silencers directly.

Hunting Regulations

Hunting with a suppressor is legal in Pennsylvania. No Pennsylvania statute and no state wildlife agency regulation restricts suppressor use while hunting.

Read that precisely. This is legality by the absence of a prohibition, not an express permission. Some states say in so many words that you may hunt with a suppressor. Pennsylvania does not say anything at all. That is the ordinary situation and it is not cause for alarm, but it does mean an agency could add a rule without the legislature acting, so the current regulations guide is the thing to check, not this page.

Verify this yourself before you hunt

Hunting rules change by agency action as well as by legislature, and they can change between seasons. This reflects our reading of the sources cited above as of August 21, 2026. Before you take a suppressor into the field, read the current regulations guide from your state wildlife agency and confirm anything you are unsure about with them directly. Do not rely on this page, on a forum post, or on a dealer. The person holding the firearm is the person the warden talks to. This is general information, not legal advice.

State-Specific Notes

Pennsylvania allows suppressor ownership. Hunting with suppressors became fully legal in 2017 for all legal game species.

How to Buy in Pennsylvania

The process for buying a suppressor in Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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

Pennsylvania is frequently listed as tying suppressors to the NFA. Read the statute and that gets harder to support.

The word “silencer” does not appear in 18 Pa.C.S. § 908, the prohibited offensive weapons statute, and it does not appear anywhere in Chapter 61 either. The closest the definition at § 908(c) comes is a “firearm specially made or specially adapted for concealment or silent discharge,” which by its terms reaches a firearm, not a standalone suppressor.

Two further details get reported wrong. The offense is a misdemeanor of the first degree under § 908(a), not a felony. And the defense at § 908(b)(1) is qualified: a defendant must prove by a preponderance that, “with the exception of a bomb, grenade or incendiary device,” he complied with the National Firearms Act.

Local Rules and Preemption

18 Pa.C.S. § 6120(a) bars a county, municipality or township from regulating “the lawful ownership, possession, transfer or transportation of firearms, ammunition or ammunition components.” Note what it omits: carrying and discharge are not on that list.

Parts of the section are dead letters still printed in the code. Subsections (a.2) and (a.3), added by Act 192 of 2014, appear on the official page marked “(Unconstitutional)” following Leach v. Commonwealth (Pa. 2016).

Worth Knowing

Pennsylvania cites the National Firearms Act by chapter rather than by the federal definition of a firearm, and the route through it is a burden-shifting defense at § 908(b)(1), not an exemption. Subsection (b)(3) adds a broad exception for a firearm used “for purposes not prohibited by the laws of this Commonwealth.”

Check our work

Every statute quoted above is linked to the official state source. Read it yourself before you rely on it.

Key Takeaway

Suppressors are legal in Pennsylvania, and the state statute does not name them at all. Hunting with suppressors is permitted for all legal game.