A bill that would loosen regulations on firearm suppressors is unlikely to come up for a floor vote in the House, after a mass shooting in Las Vegas killed at least 58 people, according to Politico.
A provision in the so-called Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act would remove special restrictions on the purchase of suppressors, commonly called “silencers,” and treat them like ordinary firearms.
The bill was expected to come up for a floor vote soon, but Republicans will likely table the vote for at least the near future, Politico reported, citing Republican sources. A separate bill to make it easier for concealed carry permit holders to transport their guns across state lines could also be delayed, according to the report.
Under current law, anyone who wants to buy a silencer must register with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and pay a $200 tax stamp. The SHARE Act, sponsored by Republican Rep. Jeff Duncan of South Carolina, would eliminate both the registration requirement and the transfer tax. Purchasing a silencer would still require the same FBI background check as a handgun.
Opponents of silencer deregulation cheered comments by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who said Monday morning that the Las Vegas attack would have been even deadlier had the shooter used a suppressor.
“The crowd fled at the sound of gunshots,” Clinton tweeted. “Imagine the deaths if the shooter had a silencer, which the NRA wants to make easier to get.”
Rep. Raúl Grijalva of Arizona, the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, denounced the SHARE Act as a bill that would make it easier for criminals to “hunt people,” putting pressure on Republicans to hold off on a gun bill during the aftermath of the worst mass shooting in modern American history.
“The SHARE Act was supposed to be about making it easier to hunt wildlife. The gun provisions inserted in the bill at the direction of the NRA to deregulate silencers and armor-piercing ammunition make it easier to hunt people,” Grijalva said in a statement, according to Politico. “There’s a lot we need to do in the wake of this mass shooting. We don’t need to make it easier to get hold of items that could make mass casualty events even more deadly.”
Duncan has been pushing for looser rules on suppressors since he introduced the Hearing Protection Act in January. He inserted the provisions of that bill into the SHARE Act, which is a broader piece of legislation covering natural resource conservation and recreation on federal lands.
Supporters of silencer deregulation say the controversial accessory has been unfairly maligned by politicians who don’t understand how they work. The National Shooting Sports Foundation, which backs Duncan’s bill, argues that suppressors make recreational shooting and hunting safer by allowing shooters to fire their weapons without extra ear protection, which can limit awareness of the surroundings. (RELATED: ‘Not Silent At All’: Firearm Suppressor Makers Reject Hollywood Depictions)
The SHARE Act passed the Natural Resources committee on a party-line vote on Sept. 13, and would likely advance with similar partisan results in a full vote in Republican-controlled House. Democrats are expected to block the bill in the Senate.
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