By MIKE CORN

mcorn@dailynews.net

Anyone who legally owns a silencer will be able to use it while hunting, fishing or furharvesting if Gov. Sam Brownback agrees to sign off on a bill overwhelmingly approved by both sides of the Kansas Legislature.

The bill, an initiative by the National Rifle Association, initially was designed to let people with concealed-carry permits carry concealed weapons with them while hunting.

Previously, they weren't able to do that while archery or muzzleloader hunting. There also was the possibility of running afoul of the law if a hunter was carrying a firearm that didn't meet caliber requirements for deer hunting.

The bill sailed through the Kansas Legislature, receiving only a single no vote, that one in the Senate. The bill was unanimously approved by the House on Tuesday.

Chris Tymeson, chief counsel for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, isn't concerned about the bill.

"Is it an issue?" he asked. "I don't think it is. I think people covet that privilege of carrying a concealed weapon, and I don't think they want to lose that privilege by using it unlawfully."

It's much the same for silencers, even though the numbers might be smaller.

Tymeson said he's not sure how many people in Kansas even own silencers.

They are a bit like fully automatic weapons, they can be privately owned but to own one, there's a rigorous process that must be followed.

Silencers are expensive, he said, costing a couple thousand dollars apiece. They also must be licensed by the federal Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Agency. There's a $200 annual fee to accompany owning a silencer.

But an online check shows silencers can be purchased for less than $250 for small-caliber weapons on up to more than $1,000 for high-caliber.

"And you have to go through a pretty rigorous routine, including an FBI background check," Tymeson said.

There have been a few requests to the state's wildlife agency to be able to use silencers, he said, mainly for shooting prairie dogs.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services has asked for that permission as well, hoping to be able to kill off additional animals before they become skittish due to the sound of the rifle shot.

Tymeson said he's not worried about the idea of silencers in the field, suggesting people who undergo a background check and the other requirements are "probably not going to do anything unlawful."

"There's very few people who own them," said Ralph Ostmeyer, R-Grinnell, whose Senate Agriculture Committee urged approval of the measure. "If someone gets caught using it illegally, it's a 30-year federal sentence."

Ostmeyer has his doubts that many people will be out hunting with a silencer on their rifle, and said it still is pretty loud.

He noted the committee's vice chairman wanted the silencer measure out of the bill, saying she wanted to be able to hear the gun when someone is shooting.

"I think they're expensive for a reason," he said of the cost. "They don't want just anyone to buy one."