Montana Legislators Plan 2027 Bills Revising State Suppressor and Short-Barrel Laws

Concealed Nation reports that three Montana Republican legislators are preparing bills for the 2027 session to revise state restrictions on suppressors, short-barreled rifles and short-barreled shotguns, following a shift in federal enforcement.

Key points

• Sponsors: Sen. Wylie Galt asked for drafts in September, and Sen. Carl Glimm and Rep. Braxton Mitchell agreed to carry matching measures when lawmakers convene in January, according to Montana Free Press reporting.
• Federal change: ATF guidance that took effect Oct. 9 drops enforcement of some National Firearms Act registration and tax-stamp requirements for those items, but does not repeal the law or override state rules.
• State conflicts: In August, Attorney General Austin Knudsen's office warned that state law still referred to federal rules, including treating an unregistered silencer as evidence of unlawful purpose, tying a short-barreled firearm exception to a federal tax stamp, and requiring federal registration to hunt with a suppressor.
• The plan: Local reporting says the bills would remove or trim those references. The three lawmakers describe the changes as aligning Montana with the new federal approach, especially for hunters and gun owners.
• Still in force: ATF still enforces Gun Control Act rules, including Form 4473 and background checks, and says its policy could change if courts, Congress or the Justice Department act.

Quick take

Concealed Nation stresses that the proposals are not yet law and have no bill numbers, and that federal nonenforcement does not make anything legal that Montana law prohibits.

Read the full story at Concealed Nation.