As of today (29 June 2026) sound moderators, also known as silencers or suppressors, are no longer subject to the same licensing requirements as Section 1 firearms, as was previously the case. Those wishing to buy or sell sound moderators will no longer have to apply for a variation or have an ‘open slot’ on their firearms certificate to do so. However, sound moderators have not been fully deregulated: anyone wishing to hold a sound moderator for a Section 1 firearm must also be a current Firearms Certificate or Shotgun Certificate holder, contravention of which is now a fineable offence (max. £1000). This legislation applies in England, Scotland and Wales.
This boon for the shooting community arises from the commencement of Section 44 of the Crime and Policing Bill which deregulates sound moderators and flash hiders by removing them from their current status of Section 1 firearms. This Section was added by the government in direct response to an amendment tabled by Lord Brady of Altrincham and prepared by the Countryside Alliance which received wide, cross-party support from peers when it was considered at the Committee Stage of the Bill.
Possession without a certificate of a sound moderator designed for other firearms, like shotguns or sub 12 ft lbs air guns, which are excepted from Section 1 of the Firearms Act 1968, will not carry an offence. This level of deregulation is exactly in line with the government’s June 2025 proposals. N.B. In Scotland, airguns and their sound moderators are subject to separate, devolved legislation, and therefore are not included in this deregulation.
Until now, sound moderators have had to be stored in a gun safe, just like the rifles they attach to. From today onwards, sound moderators will no longer have to be stored in a gun safe and may be stored in the same way as other inert accessories for firearms. Likewise, there will not be a limit on the number of sound moderators a certificate holder can possess. The Countryside Alliance, as part of the British Shooting Sports Council will be engaging with the Home Office to develop guidance around this legislation, which will give further information on recommended storage practice.
This is a significant campaign win for the Countryside Alliance, which has held the government to make good its word to deregulate sound moderators. The government had insisted that the deregulation would come “when parliamentary time allowed” and had no intention of attaching the policy to the Crime and Policing Bill (now Act). It was the Countryside Alliance that disagreed and demonstrated that this deregulation need not go into the long grass, as it would have done, and was within scope of the Crime and Policing Bill.
The positive impact of this legislation should not be underestimated. Sound moderators account for approximately one third of all Section 1 firearms in Great Britain, and the unnecessary administrative burden on police firearms licensing departments of sound moderator variations has been significant. With deregulation, licensing departments can redeploy those resources to the renewal and grant of shotgun and firearms licences, which are subject to lengthy delays in many police force areas.
A secondary benefit of the deregulation is to the gun trade in Britain. Variations have been a needless obstacle to the trade of sound moderators for years. Many gun shops will hope that this deregulation will result in an uptick in trade after several difficult years impacted by licensing administration delays.