HB1324: HB1324 Crimes and offenses; possessing a silencer; repeal prohibition

Under current Georgia law, possessing a silencer (also called a suppressor) for a firearm is generally treated the same as possessing a sawed-off shotgun or machine gun: a crime carrying up to five years in prison, unless the owner has registered it under federal law. This bill would remove the general ban on owning a silencer from Georgia's dangerous weapons statute. It repeals the legal definition of 'silencer' in one code section and strikes silencer references from the sections that list banned weapons and their penalties, while making matching updates elsewhere in the law. The bill also rewrites the state's enhanced-penalty statute, which adds extra prison time for using a machine gun, sawed-off weapon, or suppressed firearm during crimes like armed robbery, murder, or arson. That statute would get its own new definition of 'silencer or suppressor' so it still applies even after the general possession ban is repealed. The changes would take effect July 1, 2026, and apply to offenses committed on or after that date.

• Repeals the definition of 'silencer' in O.C.G.A. § 16-11-121, removing it from Georgia's general dangerous weapons statute.
• Removes silencer possession from the list of banned weapons and penalties in O.C.G.A. §§ 16-11-122 and 16-11-123, ending the standalone crime of unregistered possession.
• Updates the exemptions section, O.C.G.A. § 16-11-124, including keeping nuclear facility security officers' exemption from covering silencers.
• Adds a new, self-contained definition of 'silencer or suppressor' to O.C.G.A. § 16-11-160 so the enhanced-penalty law can still reference the term.
• Keeps mandatory extra prison sentences (five to ten years) for using a machine gun, sawed-off weapon, or suppressed firearm while committing crimes like armed robbery, murder, or arson.
• Sets the effective date as July 1, 2026, applying only to offenses committed on or after that date.

Gun owners and prospective owners of firearm suppressors, retailers and dealers in firearms accessories, prosecutors and courts handling weapons charges, and people who commit certain violent felonies while using a suppressed firearm, who would still face enhanced prison sentences.

If enacted, owning a silencer in Georgia would no longer by itself be a state crime, though it would remain regulated under federal law. People who use a suppressed firearm while committing crimes like armed robbery or murder would still face the same extra mandatory prison time under the enhanced-penalty law.

• Section 1 repeals paragraph (7) of O.C.G.A. § 16-11-121, which currently defines 'silencer' for purposes of the dangerous weapons statute.
• Section 2 revises O.C.G.A. § 16-11-122, the code section listing weapons whose possession is generally prohibited.
• Section 3 revises O.C.G.A. § 16-11-123, the offense of unlawful possession of firearms or weapons, and its five-year prison penalty.
• Section 4 revises the exemptions in O.C.G.A. § 16-11-124, including a provision that nuclear power facility security officers' exemption 'does not include the possession of silencers.'
• Section 5 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 16-11-160, adding a standalone definition of 'silencer or suppressor' and preserving enhanced sentences (up to ten years, consecutive) for using one during violent crimes such as murder, armed robbery, or arson.
• Section 6 sets the effective date as July 1, 2026, applying to offenses committed on or after that date.
• Section 7 repeals all conflicting state laws.

1. 2026-03-06House Third Reading Lost (House)
2. 2026-03-06House Third Readers (House)
3. 2026-03-03House Withdrawn, Recommitted (House)
4. 2026-02-24House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
5. 2026-02-19House Second Readers (House)
6. 2026-02-18House First Readers (House)
7. 2026-02-17House Hopper (House)

• Jason Ridley (R, HD-006)Primary sponsor
• Charles Cannon (R, HD-172)
• Trey Rhodes (R, HD-124)
• Noel Williams (R, HD-148)
• John Corbett (R, HD-174)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 6, 2026

   87 yea, 76 nay (1 not voting, 13 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #665

• gun laws
• silencers and suppressors
• firearms regulation
• criminal penalties
• weapons possession