Federal Bill Seeks to Ban Suppressors despite Hearing Safety Benefits

Recently, I wrote an article for the NRA’s America’s First Freedom (A1F) website about a new attempt by some federal-level politicians to make suppressors illegal. The “Help Empower Americans to Respond” or HEAR Act would, if passed into law, ban the importation, sale, manufacturing, transfer and even the very possession of suppressors—despite that suppressors reduce hunters’ and shooters’ risk of hearing damage. Pitched under the guise of enhancing public safety, it was introduced by two New Jersey legislators: Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-12) in the House and Sen. Bob Menendez (D) in the Senate.

“Gun silencers are dangerous devices with one purpose and one purpose only—to muffle the sound of gunfire from unsuspecting victims,” said Menendez. “The sound of gunshots is what signals you to run, hide, take cover, call the police and help others save themselves; however, this is nearly impossible when a gun silencer is used.”

This is completely false on nearly every level, said Knox Williams, Executive Director of the American Suppressor Association (ASA), a shooting sports industry group dedicated to educating the public about the many positive uses of suppressors. As my A1F article and material on this NRA Hunters’ Leadership Forum (www.NRAHLF.org) website regularly notes, suppressors are rarely used in crimes, they are already heavily regulated under the National Firearms Act, and of course they do not “silence” firearms. That’s Hollywood fiction right out of spy movies and mob flicks. As the NRA Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) explains in fighting to protect their use, suppressors simply protect one’s hearing, reduce recoil and muzzle report, and mitigate any noise complaints from neighboring properties. (To read the NRA HLF fact sheet on the benefits of suppressors, click here.)

Click here to read the entire article at NRAHLF.org.