SUPPORT PRO-SUPPRESSOR LEGISLATION

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In 2011, the American Suppressor Association formed with one primary goal in mind: remove suppressors from the purview of the National Firearms Act. For years, we worked behind the scenes in Washington, D.C. to set the stage for Rep. Salmon’s Hearing Protection Act of 2015 (H.R. 3799, S. 59). Following Rep. Salmon’s retirement from the legislature, the bill has gained new primary sponsors who have reintroduced it.

On January 3, 2019, the first day of the 116th Congress, Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC-03) introduced the Hearing Protection Act (HPA) (H.R. 155). An enhanced version of previous HPA’s, this legislation includes several suppressor related technical amendments that were first incorporated into the SHARE Act of 2017. On March 14th, Senator Mike Crapo also reintroduced the Hearing Protection Act (S.817) in the Senate. The primary focus of the bill is to remove suppressors from the National Firearms Act (NFA), making it easier for law-abiding hunters and sportsmen to protect their hearing while at the range or in the field. In stark contrast, many countries in Europe place no regulations on their purchase, possession, or use.

In July 2017, the Hearing Protection Act was added, along with a package of technical amendments developed by the American Suppressor Association, to the Sportsmen’s Heritage And Recreational Enhancement (SHARE) Act (H.R.3668). This strengthened version of the Hearing Protection Act, as Section XV of the SHARE Act, was heard in the House Natural Resources Committee on September 12, 2017. The next day it was passed out of committee in a 22-13 vote and was scheduled to be voted on by the House in a full floor vote. The high profile shooting in Las Vegas that followed just days later derailed the momentum that we had worked so hard to achieve.