A genuine “gun safety” bill has been introduced in the Congress, and it will likely draw immediate and loud opposition from the gun prohibition lobby because it seeks to remove firearm suppressors (aka “silencers”) from regulation under the National Firearms Act of 1934 and Gun Control Act of 1968.
The “Silencers Help Us Save Hearing” (SHUSH) Act—introduced by Congressman Mike Cloud of Texas and Senator Mike Lee of Utah—would make suppressors more available by removing them from NFA regulation. Presently, it takes a lengthy process and a $200 tax stamp to legally purchase a suppressor.
The accessory is becoming more popular with shooters, especially those using indoor gun ranges, and hunters. While a suppressor does not actually “silence” a gun when it is fired, it does significantly reduce the decibel level of the muzzle blast.
According to a report from the Presidential Prayer Team, the bill would “prohibit state-imposed taxes or registration, and streamline access for law-abiding citizens.”
The publication quoted Sen. Lee, “Despite what Hollywood may lead you to believe, silencers aren’t silent, and they aren’t just for secret agents. They are a vital tool for hearing protection for countless marksmen and gun enthusiasts across America, and making them prohibitively difficult to obtain is an assault on the Second Amendment. The SHUSH Act eliminates federal regulation of silencers and treats them as the non-lethal accessory that they are.”
Hearing loss is no small problem for shooters, especially those in their senior years who have developed hearing troubles such as tinnitus because in their youth, hey never used ear plugs or other hearing protectors when they learned to shoot, or when they were hunting.
As explained in a press release from Cloud’s office, the SHUSH Act”
- Removes suppressors from the National Firearms Act (NFA) and Gun Control Act (GCA), treating them as standard firearm accessories.
- Prohibits states from imposing taxes or registration requirements on suppressors.
- Ends the $200 transfer tax and streamlines the acquisition process for law-abiding Americans.
- Permits active and retired law enforcement to carry concealed suppressors.
A report from PewPew Tactical said passage of the SHUSH Act “would erase all federal, local, and state restrictions on suppressors.”
“This means that record-keeping, marking, and registration laws would no longer be needed,” the report said.
Earlier, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms announced its support for H.R. 404, known as he National Hearing Protection Act, introduced by Virginia Congressman Ben Cline, a Republican. This legislation would amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to remove suppressors from the definition of firearms.
