HPA, Not HEAR: New Jersey Congresswoman’s Federal Silencer Ban Must Be Defeated

Gun control politicians are proving once again that “common sense” has never been the standard. In fact, we see time and again that gun control is really less about guns and more about control.

U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.) reintroduced the mis-named Help Empower Americans to Respond Act, or HEAR Act; federal legislation that would ban the importation, sale, manufacture, transfer and possession of firearm suppressors. Billed by gun control activists as a “public safety measure,” it is, rather, confiscation legislation aimed at law-abiding Americans who followed the appropriate channels, paid the required tax, completed the additional background check process and legally acquired a firearm accessory designed to protect hearing.

This is exactly why Congress must reject this latest gun control overreach and pass the NSSF-supported Hearing Protection Act, H.R. 404, now instead.

Hollywood Myth

Firearm suppressors do not make firearms silent, a la scenes from Jason Bourne-style Hollywood movies. They do, however, reduce the sound report of a firearm to help protect hearing and reduce recoil. Suppressors are hearing protection devices, reducing the decibel level of a firearm to a safer hearing level that won’t cause permanent and irreversible damage. Suppressors can reduce long-term hearing loss and make hunting, target shooting and training safer and more enjoyable for participants. They are also less intrusive for the neighbors of hunting areas and shooting ranges.

Congress has already acknowledged that the federal government’s treatment of suppressors is outdated. The One Big, Beautiful Bill Act eliminated the $200 National Firearms Act (NFA) transfer tax on suppressors at the beginning of this year. This was a victory for law-abiding gun owners and the lawful firearm industry. It removed a Depression-era tax barrier that was never about public safety and served only to discourage Americans from obtaining a lawful safety accessory. The elimination of the tax resulted in an explosion in firearm and suppressor ownership so far this year. Eliminating the tax, though, was only part of the job.

The HPA, H.R. 404 in the U.S. House of Representatives and introduced by U.S. Rep. Ben Cline (R-Va.), along with the U.S. Senate companion S. 364 introduced by U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), would finish what Congress started by removing suppressors from the burdensome NFA provisions and allow them to be transferred through the same background check system used for traditional firearms. It preserves accountability, respects the Second Amendment and recognizes the simple truth that suppressors are a safety accessory.

As if more convincing is needed, the facts are overwhelming. Suppressor ownership has surged because law-abiding Americans understand their practical value. ATF reported more than 6.1 million registered silencers in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record as of May 4, 2026. In April 2026 alone, ATF received 127,996 Form 4 applications. Thanks to the diligence of federal agencies including ATF and FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check System, Individual eForm 4 median processing times are now down to seven days. That’s called evidence of lawful demand.

Creating a Problem to Solve

That’s not how Rep. Watson Coleman sees it, though. And it’s no surprise. The gun control politician is stuck on repeat with the tired accusations that suppressors are “tools of murder.” She can’t be bothered by facts, however. In a study looking at the criminal use of suppressors in California and nationwide between 1995 and 2005, researchers found that of 153 federal criminal cases involving suppressors, only 15 involved the actual use of the suppressor in the commission of a crime. Less than 0.1 percent of homicides, an infinitesimally low 0.00006 percent of felonies in California and a mere 0.1 percent of armed robberies, involve a suppressor.

Paying no heed to the narrative that less gun control would return the country to the Wild, Wild, West, the Federal Bureau of Investigations’ Uniform Crime Reporting Program released an early look at the historic decrease in crime from 2024 to 2025. Preliminary data show violent crime decreased an estimated 9.3 percent, with murder and non-negligent manslaughter decreased an estimated 18.1 percent. Contrary to what Rep. Watson Coleman repeatedly misleadingly states, suppressors are, in fact, rarely used in any crimes.

Suppressors are already legal in 42 states and hunters may use them in 41. States have steadily moved toward normalization because the fact is that suppressors are a safety device. They are especially valuable for new shooters, younger shooters, older hunters and anyone concerned about permanent hearing damage.

Call Your Congressmen

The firearm industry has been clear. Suppressors protect hearing. They make shooting sports and hunting more responsible and enjoyable for all participants — and neighbors too for that matter, in near proximity to ranges or hunting areas. They are legal across most of the country and are already owned by millions of law-abiding Americans. Congress should not punish those citizens for following the law.

Now lawmakers need to hear that message directly from their constituents.

Members of Congress and U.S. Senators should reject Rep. Watson Coleman’s HEAR Act and instead pass the Hearing Protection Act. Constituents should contact their elected officials and tell them plainly: suppressors are hearing protection devices, their treatment under the NFA is outdated and Congress must finish the job.

The tax barrier is gone. Now Congress must remove the remaining red tape and pass HPA.