“This decision was long overdue. It’s about reducing the muzzle blast to effectively protect the hearing of hunters and their dogs “said Minister of the Interior Herbert Reul.

Via the Firearm Blog:

Hunters in the North Rhine-Westphalia area in Germany can now use sound suppressors for their hunting rifles. The Ministry of Interior has regulated this in a decree to the The Federal Hunting Act.

You may ask why this is important to you, but there are some very interesting and important quotes from high ranking officials.

The Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of the Environment, Agriculture, Nature and Consumer Protection has announced:

“This decision was long overdue. It’s about reducing the muzzle blast to effectively protect the hearing of hunters and their dogs “said Minister of the Interior Herbert Reul.

The Minister of Agriculture in North Rhine-Westphalia Christina Schulze Föcking welcomed the decision. “The bottom line is a big plus for the health of the hunters – with no loss of security,” said the minister.

There are concerns that the use of suppressors could affect people’s safety, but both ministers disregard this and comment: “The experience from other states and states shows that these concerns are groundless. Totally silent shooting as in movies is not possible with suppressors, the shot is still clearly heard, “said Minister Reul.

Read more here.