Ohio Still Brands Suppressors a Felony Despite Federal NFA Win
Ohio still makes owning a suppressor, short-barreled rifle, or short-barreled shotgun a state felony, even though federal courts gutted the NFA registration requirements for those items. Gun Owners of America and its co-plaintiffs won in federal court on August 5. On October 9, the ATF announced it would halt nationwide enforcement of the registration rules after the Solicitor General declined to appeal. Federal law now treats these items differently. Ohio law does not. Ohio Revised Code § 2923.17 still classifies all three as ‘dangerous ordnance,’ and an Ohioan without a statutory exemption commits a felony by possessing one.
Key Details
The federal case targeted the NFA registration requirements covering three categories of firearm accessories and configurations. The ruling and the ATF's enforcement pause together remove the federal paperwork burden for those items. The state code did not move with them.
- August 5: Federal court rules for Gun Owners of America and co-plaintiffs against NFA registration for suppressors, SBRs, and SBSs.
- October 9: ATF confirms it will stop nationwide enforcement of those registration rules after the Solicitor General chose not to appeal.
- ORC § 2923.17: Still lists suppressors, SBRs, and SBSs as dangerous ordnance. Possession without a qualifying exemption is a state felony.
- Senate Bill 214: Introduced by State Sen. Kyle Koehler in June 2025. Passed the Ohio Senate 31–1.
- Scope gap: SB 214 covers suppressors only. SBRs and SBSs remain under dangerous-ordnance restrictions.
- Drafted fix: GOA attorneys have written amendment language removing all three items from the dangerous-ordnance definition.
- Timeline: The General Assembly returns in November for post-election sessions. The bill sits with the House Public Safety Committee.
Background
The National Firearms Act of 1934 put suppressors, SBRs, SBSs, and machine guns under federal registration and a transfer tax. That $200 tax stamp stayed on the books for decades, and the registration process created a long wait for many buyers. Ohio never built its own registration system. Instead, its code ties felony exposure to whether an owner holds federal NFA paperwork. Ohioans who completed the federal process generally fell under the exemption path. Anyone who skipped it faced state charges.
That structure worked as long as federal registration stayed in force. Once the courts struck the registration requirement and the ATF stopped enforcing it, the exemption path lost its foundation. Ohio's statute still points to a federal regime that no longer applies to these items. The state never amended the definition to match. Senate Bill 214 emerged as the vehicle to fix that gap. It was drafted before GOA's federal win, which means the sponsor wrote it for a national NFA picture that has since changed.
Why It Matters for Gun Owners
If you live in Ohio and own a suppressor, you hold a federally legal item that state law still treats as a felony. The risk does not come from the ATF. It comes from a county prosecutor reading ORC § 2923.17 literally. Prosecutors follow the statute on the books, not the federal court docket. Owners who registered under the old federal process should keep their paperwork and transfer records organized. Owners who never registered face the largest exposure, because the exemption they would have used now runs through a federal process that has been stripped of enforcement.
SBR and SBS owners carry the most uncertainty. SB 214 leaves those two categories untouched, so even a passed bill would not protect a short-barreled rifle owner. If you own an SBR or SBS in Ohio, watch the amendment language closely. A bill that covers only suppressors solves one problem and leaves two others in place. Ohio gun owners who want all three items cleared need the broader amendment, and they need it before the current General Assembly's calendar runs out.
DownRange Analysis
Under Bruen, the government must point to a historical tradition of firearm regulation that matches the modern law. Ohio's felony classification for suppressors struggles to meet that test, because the state ties the offense to a federal tax-and-registration scheme that the federal government has abandoned for these items. A statute that punishes possession by pointing to a regime that no longer exists invites a constitutional challenge. The trouble is that a Second Amendment suit takes years, and your arrest does not wait for the appellate calendar.
The market will feel this gap before the courts resolve it. Buyers in Ohio will hesitate on suppressors and SBRs until the statute matches the federal picture. Dealers in the state should expect questions about exemption status that they cannot answer cleanly today. Do three things now. Call your Ohio House representative and ask for the broader amendment covering suppressors, SBRs, and SBSs. Keep your federal paperwork and transfer records. Stop buying dangerous-ordnance items in Ohio until your state legislators close the gap.
