U.S. Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., and U.S. Rep. John Carter, R-Texas, have introduced an important measure that gives gun owners and sportsmen the opportunity to better protect their hearing, a move that has drawn praise from the National Rifle Association.
The Hearing Protection Act, H.R. 367, would remove suppressors from regulation under the National Firearms Act, replacing the federal transfer process with a National Instant Criminal Background Check. The bill would also greatly reduce the cost of purchasing a suppressor by removing the $200 transfer tax.
“Many gun owners and sportsmen suffer severe hearing loss after years of shooting, and yet the tool necessary to reduce such loss is onerously regulated and taxed. It doesn’t make any sense,” said Chris W. Cox, executive director of NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action. “The Duncan-Carter Hearing Protection Act would allow people easier access to suppressors, which would help them to better protect their hearing.”
