Mississippi Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith is cosponsoring legislation to reform the regulation of suppressors and make them more available to help preserve the hearing of sportsmen and their hunting dogs.
The Hearing Protection Act (S.2050) would reclassify suppressors to regulate them like a regular firearm. U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) authored the measure.
“Eliminating a lot of the red tape that restricts access to suppressors could help hunters and sport shooters in Mississippi avoid permanent hearing damage,” Hyde-Smith said. “The Hearing Protection Act would make commonsense improvements to make it easier for responsible, law-abiding Americans to enjoy their Second Amendment rights and protect their hearing.”
Regulated under the National Firearms Act (NFA), suppressors are subject to additional burdens that often exceed those imposed by more liberal European nations that actually require their use to reduce hearing-related injuries.
S.2050 would:
- Reclassify suppressors to regulate them like traditional firearms
- Remove NFA jurisdiction over suppressors
- Replace the overly burdensome federal transfer process with an instantaneous National Instant Criminal Background Check System background check, making the purchasing and transfer process equal to the process for a rifle or shotgun
- Tax suppressors under the Pittman-Robertson Act instead of the costly NFA, putting more funding into state wildlife conservation agencies
The Hearing Protection Act would not change any laws in states that already prevent suppressors, nor does it get rid of the requirement of a background check.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation, American Suppressor Association, Gun Owners of America, and National Rifle Association support this legislation.
