Georgia CommonsHouse · Failed · 2025-2026 Regular Session
HB 1324: Crimes and offenses; possessing a silencer; repeal prohibition
Last action March 6, 2026 · House Third Reading Lost
A House committee substitute for HB 1324 would remove Georgia's ban on possessing a silencer, striking silencers from the state's list of prohibited weapons while keeping other restrictions on sawed-off guns and machine guns.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Comm Sub version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
Under current Georgia law (O.C.G.A. Chapter 11 of Title 16), possessing a silencer is illegal alongside sawed-off shotguns, sawed-off rifles, machine guns, and other dangerous weapons, unless an exemption applies, such as registering the item under federal law. This bill removes silencers from that ban entirely, rewriting several Code sections that list prohibited weapons and definitions so silencers are no longer covered. The bill also updates the enhanced-penalty law for using certain weapons during violent crimes (O.C.G.A. § 16-11-160), adding formal definitions for terms like 'machine gun' and 'silencer or suppressor' and reorganizing the section's subsections, while keeping the requirement that using a firearm equipped with a silencer or suppressor during crimes like armed robbery or murder still carries enhanced penalties. Other exemption language, including references to the National Firearms Act, is updated to reference federal law generally. The changes would take effect July 1, 2026, and apply to offenses committed on or after that date.
What the bill does
- Repeals the definition of 'silencer' from Georgia's dangerous weapons law (O.C.G.A. § 16-11-121), removing it as a legally defined dangerous instrumentality.
- Removes silencers from the list of weapons banned from general possession under O.C.G.A. § 16-11-122, so simple possession of a silencer alone is no longer a crime under that section.
- Removes silencers from the felony offense of unlawful possession of firearms or weapons under O.C.G.A. § 16-11-123, which still covers sawed-off shotguns, sawed-off rifles, machine guns, and dangerous weapons.
- Updates the exemptions section (O.C.G.A. § 16-11-124) to remove silencer-specific registration language and instead reference general federal law compliance.
- Rewrites the enhanced penalty statute for using weapons during violent crimes (O.C.G.A. § 16-11-160) to add formal definitions, including a new definition of 'silencer or suppressor,' while keeping enhanced penalties for using a firearm equipped with one during listed crimes.
- Sets an effective date of July 1, 2026, applying only to offenses committed on or after that date.
Who it affects
Georgians who own or want to own firearm silencers, gun owners more broadly, prosecutors and law enforcement who currently charge silencer possession as a crime, and people charged with violent felonies like armed robbery or murder where a silencer-equipped firearm is used, since enhanced penalties for that specific circumstance remain in place.
Why it matters
If enacted, simply possessing a silencer in Georgia would no longer be a standalone crime, changing what police can charge and what prosecutors can prove. Using a silencer-equipped firearm during certain violent crimes would still trigger the same enhanced prison sentences as before.
Key provisions
- Section 1 repeals paragraph (7) of O.C.G.A. § 16-11-121, eliminating the statutory definition of 'silencer' used elsewhere in the dangerous weapons law.
- Section 2 revises O.C.G.A. § 16-11-122 to strike 'or silencer' from the list of weapons a person may not possess.
- Section 3 revises O.C.G.A. § 16-11-123 to remove silencers from the felony offense of unlawful possession of firearms or weapons, which still carries a five-year prison sentence for the remaining listed weapons.
- Section 4 revises the exemptions in O.C.G.A. § 16-11-124, removing silencer-specific registration references and replacing them with a general reference to compliance with federal law.
- Section 5 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 16-11-160, adding definitions including 'silencer or suppressor,' and preserves enhanced penalties (up to life imprisonment for repeat offenses) for using a silencer-equipped firearm during crimes like armed robbery, murder, or arson.
- Section 6 sets the effective date as July 1, 2026, applying only to offenses committed on or after that date.
- Section 7 repeals any conflicting laws.
From the bill
“'Silencer or suppressor' means any device for diminishing the report of any portable weapon or other device from which a shot, bullet, or projectile may be discharged by an explosive.”
Discussed in meetings (9)
The House and Senate meetings that took this bill up, from their machine transcripts. Each account was written by Georgia Commons with AI and is not part of the record; the video is what was said.
House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee, February 23, 2026
From 0:14:02 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor and an American Suppressor Association witness presented HB 1324 as removing suppressors from Georgia's definition of dangerous weapons. The witness said suppressors reduce hearing damage without silencing gunfire, cited research that 70 to 80 percent of hunters do not wear hearing protection, and said the proposal would accommodate future federal-law changes. Asked about current purchasing requirements, the witness said federal registration and background-check requirements remain, but the $200 federal tax ended in January. Several members questioned the need for a state change when lawful purchases were already possible and argued it would remove a criminal penalty. Witnesses for Georgia Majority for Gun Safety and Georgia Clinicians for Gun Safety opposed the proposal on public-safety grounds. During later discussion, members argued quieter shots could hinder police, gunshot-detection systems and people trying to escape shootings. Another member and the sponsor responded that suppressed gunfire remains clearly audible. The committee approved the bill after a voice vote and a requested show of hands. The chair voted in favor; no numerical tally was announced.
House Rules Committee, February 25, 2026
From 0:50:28 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 1324 would prepare Georgia law for a possible change in federal regulation of firearm suppressors following a lawsuit. One member asked whether law enforcement organizations supported it and raised concerns about criminal access. The sponsor said no organizations had been asked, while describing background checks and other existing controls. Another member asked about everyday uses and suggested limiting suppressors to hunting and shooting ranges because of concerns about domestic violence and locating shooters. The sponsor opposed that restriction and cited noise reduction, hunting and personal protection. A third member asked whether suppressors would interfere with gunshot detection equipment or officers locating a school shooter. The sponsor said shots would remain loud enough to hear. Another member agreed that suppressors reduce noise rather than silence shots and said detection equipment would still work. No scheduling decision was shown.
House floor session, March 3, 2026 (legislative day 26, PM)
From 5:04:44 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (House Withdrawn, Recommitted)
Summary by Georgia Commons: A member requested that HB 1324 be returned to the Rules Committee. After the clerk read the caption, the House agreed without objection. There was no substantive debate.
House Rules Committee, March 3, 2026
From 0:05:09 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 1743
Summary by Georgia Commons: A motion to place HB 1324 on the day's second supplemental calendar under modified structure was made and seconded. A committee member objected, prompting a voice vote. Both support and opposition were heard, and the chair announced that the bill was on the calendar. No vote count or reasons for the objection were given, and there was no discussion of the bill's contents.
House Rules Committee, March 5, 2026
From 0:41:55 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 2013
Summary by Georgia Commons: The presenter said the substitute to HB 1324 addressed concerns about removing language concerning firearms equipped with silencers. The presenter said that language would remain, preserving the crimes covered by that provision, and that the substitute also clarified a reference to the definition of a bulletproof vest. The committee approved the substitute without opposition. During calendar setting, a member objected to advancing the bill. The chair called a voice vote and declared that the motion to place it on the floor calendar carried; no count was stated.
House floor session, March 6, 2026 (legislative day 28, PM, part 1)
From 1:57:11 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 2132
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said repealing Georgia's silencer possession prohibition would prepare for litigation that might remove suppressors from the National Firearms Act. The sponsor said federal approval requirements would still apply and described the change as maintaining existing access, not expanding it. Asked why the measure was needed and whether suppressors protect hearing, the sponsor emphasized legal alignment, hunters' hearing and reduced noise for neighbors, citing sound levels of 160-177 decibels without a suppressor and 125-135 with one. One opposing member said those reduced levels still damage hearing and recommended ear protection instead. A second cited the Virginia Beach shooting as an example of delayed recognition of suppressed gunfire. A third argued repeal would remove an independent state enforcement tool. During the minority report, another member said the bill also removed enhanced penalties for criminal use. A member with law-enforcement experience warned that quieter gunfire could delay officers locating a shooter; a former prosecutor emphasized lost witness evidence. During voting, the sponsor repeated that federal authorities had advised the change. The House adopted the Rules Committee substitute, but the bill failed to receive the required constitutional majority, with 87 yes votes and 76 no votes.
Status timeline
- House Third Reading Lost (House)
- House Third Readers (House)
- House Withdrawn, Recommitted (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Jason Ridley (R, HD-6)
- Chas Cannon (R, HD-172)
- Trey Rhodes (R, HD-124)
- Noel Williams, Jr. (R, HD-148)
- John Corbett (R, HD-174)
Votes
- House voteMarch 6, 2026
87 yea, 76 nay (1 not voting, 13 excused)
Topics
- gun laws
- silencers and suppressors
- criminal penalties
- weapons possession