Proposed bill allows silencers for hunting in Wyo.

A state legislative panel has endorsed a proposed bill that would allow silencers to be used while hunting any type of game in Wyoming. The Legislature's Joint Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources Committee voted to sponsor the proposal at a public meeting in Jackson recently. Current Wyoming Game and Fish Department regulations bar silencers, also known as suppressors. The bill also includes stiffer penalties for anyone who uses a silencer to poach or take wildlife in violation of Game and Fish regulations. Critics say the silencer provision is too broad and would compromise the safety of hunters in the field because the sound of gunfire lets hunters know where other hunters are located.