Wyoming lawmakers will decide in coming months whether to follow a growing national trend and allow the use of silencers on hunting guns. Proponents say there’s no reason to ban the devices that screw onto the muzzle of a firearm to catch the blast and muffle the sound of a shot. Not only do they prevent hearing damage, supporters say, they also reduce noise pollution. Some opponents, however, say they believe allowing silencers for hunting would be unsporting and unnecessary. They say hunters increasingly laden with high-tech gadgets don’t need yet another advantage when they go up against game species whose defenses always have been only their alertness and ability to run away/Rich Landers, SR. More here. (AP photo: Zak Smith, foreground, and Shane Coppinger, co-owners of Thunder Beast Arms Corp., prepare to shoot high-powered rifles fitted with sound suppressors at a rifle range west of Cheyenne, Wyo.)

Question: Should hunters be allowed to hunt game with silencers on their guns?