WASHINGTON, D.C. — On March 5th, Congressman Greg Steube (R-FL-17) introduced H.R. 6126 – the End the Normalized Delay of Suppressors (ENDS) Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. His legislation seeks to increase efficiencies within the National Firearms Act (NFA) Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) by capping transfer times for suppressors at 90 days. Barring a denial, any NFA application for a suppressor that is not approved by ATF within the 90-day window would result in an automatic approval.
“I have personally experienced the unnecessary delay of a suppressor application and as a member of Congress, I have met with many Floridians who have also experienced similar delays,” said Congressman Steube following the introduction of the bill. “A policy of delay, delay, delay is unacceptable and frankly violates the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding gun owners.”
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 ATF, pay a $200 transfer tax, notify their Chief Law Enforcement Officer (CLEO), and wait an indeterminate amount of time for ATF to process the application. As of today, wait times typically range from 3 to 18 months.
Rep. Steube’s proposal is similar in nature to the three business day provision in the Brady Act, which states that Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) may proceed with the transfer of a Title 1 firearm after three business days if they have not received a response from the National Criminal Instant Background Check System (NICS). The inclusion of the three business day provision in the Brady Act forced the FBI, who operate NICS, to invest adequate resources and create technological solutions to ensure that virtually all NICS applications would be approved or denied within the mandated timeframe. Without this provisional mandate, it is likely that buying a rifle, shotgun, or pistol would take as long as the highly variable NFA transfer process.
If enacted, Rep. Steube’s bill would have a similar effect on ATF, who have struggled to keep up with demand since the electronic eForm 4 system crashed in 2014.
“It’s 2020, not 1934. There is absolutely no reason it should ever take more than 90 days to buy a suppressor,” said Knox Williams, President and Executive Director of the American Suppressor Association. “Afterall, suppressors are an important safety device that the CDC, NIOSH, and National Hearing Conservation Association recommend as a tool to help mitigate preventable hearing damage. What Rep. Steube has done is introduce a bill that would hold ATF accountable. No more variable wait times that consistently last over a year. We applaud Rep. Steube for his leadership on the matter, and look forward to working with him to help spread the message and push his legislation.”
About The American Suppressor Association
The American Suppressor Association (ASA) is the unified voice of the suppressor community. We exist for one reason and one reason only: to fight for pro-suppressor reform nationwide.
The ability of the American Suppressor Association to fight for pro-suppressor reform is tied directly to our ability to fundraise. Since the ASA’s formation in 2011, 3 states have legalized suppressor ownership and 18 states have legalized suppressor hunting. Much of this would not have happened without your support. For more information on how you can join us in the fight to help protect and expand your right to own and use suppressors, visit www.AmericanSuppressorAssociation.com.
