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Sig Sauer Loses Battle Over "Silencer" Classification In Federal Appeals Court

New Hampshire gun manufacturer Sig Sauer lost an appeal in a US Appeals Court this week. The dispute was over the classification of a “silencer" device.

Guns with silencers are subject to more regulations than guns without. Eight states ban them altogether. So when the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms classified a muzzle device made by Sig Sauer as a silencer, the New Hampshire gun company fought back.

The company contended that the part was also intended as a muzzle break, and barrel extension, and was not intended solely for the purpose of suppressing sound.

Earlier this week, a federal appeals court affirmed the lower court ruling that the bureau’s classification of the silencer is accurate. 

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