Supreme Court upholds gun silencer regulations

Washington, DC – In a move announced today the Supreme Court rejected the appeal of two Kansas men, a decision that leaves in place federal regulation of gun silencers.

The justices did not comment in turning away appeals from the men who were convicted of violating federal law regulating silencers, according to reports published by Reuters.

The two men, Shane Cox and Jeremy Kettler, were convicted in 2014 following Kettler’s purchase of a silencer from Cox’s military surplus store in Chanute, Kansas.

Both were prosecuted under a federal law called the National Firearms Act, which requires registration of certain firearms, with silencers included in a list of covered items along with grenades, machine guns and bombs.

Cox was convicted of possessing an unregistered silencer as well as an unregistered short-barreled rifle and transferring unregistered silencers. Kettler was convicted of possessing an unregistered silencer.

The men argued that their constitutional rights under the second amendment “to keep and bear arms” included the free purchase and use of silencers.

Last year the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver upheld both men’s convictions, prompting them to appeal to the Supreme Court.

The attorneys general of Kansas, Arkansas, Idaho, Louisiana, Montana, South Carolina, Texas and Utah urged in a joint filing that the justices should support the appeal, thereby affirming that the Second Amendment protects “silencers and other firearms accessories.”

However the Trump administration had urged the court to ignore the appeal and leave the convictions in place. The court’s decision to reject the appeal leaves the original convictions in place.