WASHINGTON, DC – February 4th, U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and 28 colleagues reintroduced the Hearing Protection Act (HPA) in the Senate.
“We are grateful to Senator Crapo for standing behind the millions of law-abiding gun owners with his reintroduction of the Hearing Protection Act,” said Knox Williams, president and executive director of the American Suppressor Association. “It’s absurd that our unrestrained federal bureaucracy requires Americans to jump through hoops to buy simple hearing protection devices. Momentum continues to grow for common sense reforms that would end the stranglehold of government on the rights of her people. We look forward to working with Senator Crapo and his colleagues to ensure our Second Amendment rights remain a priority.”
The Hearing Protection Act is cosponsored by Senators Marsha Blackburn, John Boozman, Ted Budd, Bill Cassidy, Kevin Cramer, Steve Daines, Deb Fischer, Lindsey Graham, John Hoeven, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Jim Justice, John Kennedy, James Lankford, Mike Lee, Cynthia Lummis, Roger Marshall, Jerry Moran, Markwayne Mullin, Pete Ricketts, Jim Risch, Mike Rounds, Rick Scott, Tim Sheehy, Thom Tillis, Roger Wicker, Tom Cotton, Josh Hawley, and Ron Johnson. Representative Ben Cline (R-Va.) introduced the companion bill in the House of Representatives.
The HPA would remove suppressors from the burdensome requirements of the National Firearms Act (NFA) and require purchasers to pass an instant NICS check, the same background check used during the sale of long guns. This change, by cutting through red tape, will make it much easier for law-abiding hunters and sportsmen to access these critical hearing safety devices. With the introduction of the HPA in both chambers, and the recent introduction of the bipartisan PARTS Act, momentum continues to build for common sense reform to firearm regulation.
Background
Suppressors have been federally regulated since the passage of the National Firearms Act of 1934.
In order to purchase a suppressor, prospective buyers must live in a state where suppressors are legal, send in an application including fingerprints and passport photos to the ATF, pay a $200 transfer tax, notify their local Chief Law Enforcement Officer (CLEO), and wait an indeterminate amount of time for ATF to process the application.
Using the same science as car mufflers, suppressors help reduce noise pollution, allowing hunters and recreational shooters to be good neighbors and good stewards of the environment.
Often referred to as “silencers,” suppressors are widely misunderstood by the public due to this misnomer. A suppressor only reduces the sound level of a gunshot to 110-120 decibels, about as loud as a jackhammer or ambulance siren.
Private suppressor ownership is currently legal in 42 states, and hunting with a suppressor is legal in 41 states.
