Right now, 42 states allow ownership of silencers and of those 40 allow silencers to be used for hunting. Even though silencers are federally registered, require fingerprinting, and a $200 tax, a few states still outright ban their ownership. Not surprisingly, they are major anti-gun states like California, New York, Illinois, and New Jersey. Nearly every other state allows their ownership and use in hunting.
Because silencers can be transported from one legal state to another without extra paperwork to the ATF, they are increasingly popular with hunters who may travel to another state for hunting. Silencers are also popular on home defense guns to protect the hearing of homeowners who might have to use the gun in self defense. This use is not restricted in any silencer legal state.