Suppressors In, SBRs and SBSs Out: GOA Pushes Ohio House to Amend SB 214 Before the General Assembly Runs Out of Time

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COLUMBUS, OH — The Ohio Senate passed Senate Bill 214 to pull suppressors out of the state’s “dangerous ordnance” classification, but the bill never touched short-barreled rifles or shotguns, and Gun Owners of America says that gap now matters far more than it did when the bill was written.

According to a GOA alert published October 23, GOA and its fellow plaintiffs won a federal court ruling on August 5 against National Firearms Act registration requirements for suppressors, short-barreled rifles (SBRs), and short-barreled shotguns (SBSs). On October 9, GOA says, ATF announced it would stop enforcing those requirements nationwide. Ohio law did not move with it. The state still classifies all three as dangerous ordnance under ORC Section 2923.17, which means possession can bring a felony charge unless the owner qualifies for an exemption. GOA notes the exemption most owners have relied on is the same NFA registration that ATF just stopped enforcing.

Sen. Kyle Koehler introduced SB 214 in June 2025, more than a year before the August ruling. The bill text amends sections 1533.04, 2923.11, and 2923.17 of the Revised Code to remove firearm mufflers and suppressors from the dangerous ordnance classification. Section 1533.04 is the hunting statute, and as it reads today a licensed hunter may use a suppressor only if the device is registered under the NFA. Section 2923.11 holds the definitions, including Ohio’s “sawed-off firearm”: a shotgun with a barrel under 18 inches, a rifle with a barrel under 16 inches, or either one under 26 inches overall.

That last definition is where SBRs and SBSs sit in Ohio law, and SB 214 leaves it alone. The bill, as its title says, is about suppressors. GOA’s point is that nobody drafting it in June 2025 expected the federal registration requirement to fall, so the bill solved the problem Ohio had then and not the one it has now. NRA-ILA reported the Senate’s passage in March 2026, and GOA puts the vote at 31-1. The bill now sits in the House Public Safety Committee.

GOA says its attorneys have drafted amendments covering all three categories. By GOA’s account, a member of the Public Safety Committee could offer them there, or a House member could offer them on the floor if the bill advances without changes. Lawmakers return in November for sessions scheduled after the election, and GOA describes a limited window before the current General Assembly ends. The group is asking Ohio gun owners to contact their state representatives and push for the amended bill.

More from USA Carry:

• ATF Stops Requiring NFA Approval and Registration for Suppressors, SBRs, SBSs and AOWs Nationwide, Effective October 9, 2026
• Trump Orders DOJ Not to Appeal Texas Ruling That Struck Down NFA Registration for Suppressors, SBRs, SBSs and AOWs
• Sen. Murphy Pushes $4,709 NFA Tax Just Weeks After Congress Voted to End It
• Midnight Deadline: GOA Tells the Attorney General That Silencer Shop Will Hand Brandon Herrera and Wes Virdell Suppressors With No Form 4 and No Registry Entry
• DOJ Says It Told Congress It Will Not Appeal Texas Ruling That Struck Down NFA Registration for Suppressors, SBRs and Short-Barreled Shotguns

The takeaway for Ohio gun owners is simple. A federal enforcement decision does not rewrite state law. Until the General Assembly acts, the state’s dangerous ordnance statute still governs these items inside Ohio, just as Ohio’s concealed carry laws still govern how a handgun is carried there, regardless of what ATF is or is not enforcing.

I will continue tracking SB 214 as the Ohio House returns in November.

Legislative data provided by LegiScan (CC BY 4.0, legiscan.com).

Read the original story: Suppressors In, SBRs and SBSs Out: GOA Pushes Ohio House to Amend SB 214 Before the General Assembly Runs Out of Time