Senators Mike Lee of Utah and Mike Crapo of Idaho along with Congressman Steve King of Iowa have introduced the Silencers Helping Us Save Hearing Act (SHUSH) hoping to have suppressors classified as firearm accessories.
“Suppressors can make shooting safer for the millions of hunters and sportsmen that exercise their constitutional right to use firearms every year,” said Lee in a press release statement from his office. “The current process for obtaining a suppressor is far too expensive and burdensome. Our bill would remove these unnecessary federal regulations and make it easier for firearms users to protect themselves.”
The SHUSH Act would completely remove suppressors from NFA requirements. This is the same goal as the Hearing Protection Act, but SHUSH goes one step further. By classifying them as “firearm accessories,” suppressors could be sold directly to consumers without the need for a background check or federal firearms licensee transfer.
Unsurprisingly, anti-gun advocates were quick to attack the bill. The gun control group Everytown released the following statement after the SHUSH Act was introduced, “The bill would end the federal requirement for background checks on firearm silencer sales, and make it legal for convicted felons, domestic abusers, and the dangerously mentally ill to buy and possess silencers to the satisfaction of NRA headquarters, the legislation would profit gun manufacturers, who could mass market firearm silencers at the expense of public safety.”
The SHUSH Act has been introduced as bill S.1505 in the Senate and H.R. 3139 in the House. Make sure you contact your senator and congressional representative and encourage them to back these bills.