Congress Thinks It’s Time To Stop The Ridiculous Process Of Buying A Silencer — The Hearing Protection Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. — If you have fired guns for a long time, you’re probably interested in protecting your hearing. Imagine being able to go into the store and purchase a silencer right alongside your favorite gun or rifle? Same background check, same process… Sounds like a dream in comparison to the current ATF tax stamp and long waiting process. Well, legislators in D.C. are gearing up to potentially make it a reality.

via FOX News

“I’ve been shooting since I was a young child — beginning with plinking with a .22 rifle and dove hunting with my Dad. My hearing has been damaged because of gun noise,” South Carolina Rep. Jeff Duncan said Monday after introducing the bill in the House with Texas Rep. John Carter, a fellow Republican.

“Had I had access to a suppressor, it may have protected me, as well as millions of other Americans, from this sort of hearing loss. This is a health issue,” Duncan continued.

South Carolina Representative Jeff Duncan isn’t alone. Millions of firearm-owning Americans are at risk for hearing damage from not using adequate safety precautions when they shoot at a range.

Technology has enabled us a fast, convenient solution — the silencer. It’s an additional safety tool that most Americans have written off because of the cost-prohibitive and time-prohibitive nature of the application process.

Right now, if a citizen wants to purchase a silencer for his pistol or rifle, he needs to fill out a lengthy application and pay a $200 tax stamp on top of the cost of the silencer itself. Next, that same citizen has to wait anywhere from two to almost twelve months to be able to pick it up.

Would you pay $900 plus a $200 tax stamp so you can use that silencer six months later?

A lot of people wouldn’t.

However, if The Hearing Protection Act of 2017 passes Congressional approval and gets signed in by President Trump, any citizen eligible to possess a silencer may purchase one under the same process a person purchases a handgun.

No more $200 tax stamp. No more waiting for months on end.

According to that same FOX News article, it appears that Republicans are confident they can get The Hearing Protection Act of 2017 through the House and Senate. And, as Trump appears to be in favor of American manufacturing and firearms, there’s a decent chance that this bill may actually get signed into law if it makes it to his desk.

Now, I don’t see this ultimately changing the way anyone carries a concealed handgun but it certainly makes training at the range incredibly easy on the ears. There are people who cannot practically wear traditional hearing protection and this will also come as a welcome addition.

I, for one, can’t wait to take one to the range.