DraftDraft definitions, under editorial review. Informational content is not legal advice.
Draftfederal and California definitions
Federal law defines firearm silencer and firearm muffler by their purpose of reducing a portable firearm’s report, and extends the definition to specified combinations of parts and parts intended solely for that purpose. [1] The National Firearms Act expressly includes silencers among its firearm categories. [2] California Penal Code section 17210 supplies a separate state definition addressing sound-reducing devices and specified components. [3] These statutory terms identify regulated categories; they do not describe a guarantee of silence or resolve the separate rules governing an individual item. [1][2][3]
- 1. 18 U.S.C. section 921, 2024 editionretrieved 2026-10-04
- 2. 26 U.S.C. section 5845, 2024 editionretrieved 2026-10-04
- 3. California Penal Code: General definitionsretrieved 2026-10-04
See also
- National Firearms ActDraft
The National Firearms Act originated in 1934 as a federal tax and registration statute for specified firearm categories, later amended by Congress.
Terms that use silencer
About this glossary
This entry is one of 153 defined terms in the CalGunHub glossary of California and federal firearm-law vocabulary. The 11 core terms are short plain-English definitions; the extended terms are cited research drafts, labelled as drafts, with their statutory sources listed under each entry. Every definition here is informational only and is not legal advice.
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