Louisiana allows privately made suppressors for hunting without federal enforcement

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said Monday that hunters can legally use privately made suppressors, including those produced with a 3D printer, provided the firearm complies with season rules and the hunter is permitted to possess the device.

State agents will apply the same test to every suppressor encountered in the field, regardless of how it was made, department communications director Taylor Brazan explained in an email. The agency will not enforce federal manufacturing requirements, and hunters are not required to carry tax stamps, ATF forms, registration records, or any substitute documentation.

"If both conditions are met, no state violation has occurred," Brazan said.

Agents will first verify that the firearm is an authorized method of take for the species and season being pursued. Adding a suppressor does not change which firearms are allowed. They will then check that the hunter is not prohibited from possessing firearms under state or federal law and has not been convicted of a class‑four or greater hunting violation in the past five years.

Additional restrictions include that the suppressor cannot be stolen or attached to a machine gun. If a device has a serial number, agents may use it to confirm the suppressor has not been reported stolen.

Recent federal policy changes reduced the tax on making and transferring suppressors to zero and ended prior approval requirements for these devices. The Justice Department’s extension of this policy follows a Texas court ruling and means the ATF will no longer enforce registration or tax‑stamp obligations for privately made suppressors. The changes do not repeal the National Firearms Act, and purchases from licensed dealers still require standard firearms transaction paperwork and background checks.

Louisiana wildlife officers will continue to enforce all other hunting regulations, including checking licenses, tags, season dates, hunting hours, bag limits, and authorized methods of take. Machine guns and other destructive devices remain subject to the full National Firearms Act requirements and the $200 federal tax.