BELLEVUE, WA – The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms applauds Congressman Ben Cline (R-Virginia) for introducing H.R. 404, the Hearing Protection Act, and is encouraging the nation’s gun owners to support this timely legislation.
The Hearing Protection Act would amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to remove suppressors from the definition of firearms, according to the bill, and from regulation under the 1934 National Firearms Act (NFA).
“Similar legislation has been proposed in the past,” noted CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, “and it is time for this important measure to become law. For generations, untold millions of Americans enjoying their constitutionally-protected right to own and use firearms for recreation, competition, personal protection training and other endeavors have often risked their sense of hearing, even when using ear plugs or other protective devices.
“Suppressors work like mufflers on automobiles,” he continued. “They greatly reduce the noise generated by muzzle blasts. They are used in many states by hunters, shooters utilizing indoor gun ranges and outdoor ranges in suburban environments and many other people. They’re not designed to completely silence a firearm for illegitimate purposes, but instead to provide one more important level of hearing protection.”
Currently, to legally own a suppressor, a person must pass an extensive background check conducted by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, pay $200 for a tax stamp and register the device with the ATF.
“Suppressors are essentially hearing safety accessories,” Gottlieb observed, “and they are legal to own in many states. Instead of discouraging their ownership with restrictive regulations and a fee, the should be readily available without onerous requirements. We’re encouraging our members and supporters, and gun owners in general, to support Rep. Cline’s H.R. 404.”