Do You Support a Ban on Gun Silencers?

What’s the story?

• Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) has introduced a bill to outlaw gun suppressors, also known as silencers.

What would the bill do?

The Help Empower Americans to Respond Act, or HEAR Act, would ban gun silencers on a national level.

It would also:

• Authorize a buyback program for silencers using federal grants.
• Give individuals a 90-day grace period to comply with the ban.
• Provide exceptions for certain current and former law enforcement officers.

What are people saying?

• “We were reminded how dangerous silencers can be a few weeks ago, when a gunman used a .45 caliber handgun fitted with a suppressor to kill 12 Americans in Virginia Beach. What first sounded like a nail-gun ended up being gunfire,” Menendez said in a statement.

“The sound of gunshots is what tells you that your life is danger, and that it’s time to run, hide, take cover, call the police and help others save themselves. At the end of the day if you can hear a weapon you might just save a life,” he added. 

• The NRA has not responded to requests for comment on the HEAR Act, but have pushed back against claims that the decibel level of a silenced gun is on-par with a nail gun.

“The only way to accurately perceive the differences in sound levels is to hear them in person (with appropriate hearing protection). Short of that, if the Virginian-Pilot wanted to accurately convey differences in sound level, using commonly occurring sounds can be helpful.”

What do you think?

Do you support the HEAR Act? Take action and tell your reps, then share your thoughts below.

—Josh Herman