Rep. Mike Cloud and Sen. Mike Lee introduce SHUSH Act to streamline acquisition process for firearm suppressors

02/04/2025 / By Laura Harris

Rep. Mike Cloud (R-TX) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) have introduced the Silencers Help Us Save Hearing (SHUSH) Act to streamline the acquisition process of suppressors and reduce regulatory burdens.
The current process of obtaining a suppressor involves extensive paperwork, fingerprinting, background checks, a $200 federal tax and a waiting period of 9 to 12 months, making it difficult for law-abiding citizens.
The legislation aims to treat suppressors as standard firearm accessories, eliminate the $200 transfer tax, simplify acquisition processes and prevent states from imposing additional taxes or regulations.
The bill highlights that suppressors improve safety and comfort for hunters, sports shooters and marksmen by reducing gunfire noise, recoil and muzzle blast, while also addressing common misconceptions about their functionality.
AWR Hawkins argues that passing the Hearing Protection Act can not only protect the hearing of shooters but also reduce environmental noise, contributing to a quieter ecological setting for hunting and recreational shooting.

Rep. Mike Cloud (R-TX) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) have introduced a bill that will streamline the process of acquiring suppressors and reduce the regulatory burden on law-abiding citizens.

Under current regulations, obtaining a suppressor involves a cumbersome process that includes filling out Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) forms, undergoing fingerprinting and background checks, paying a $200 federal tax and waiting nine to 12 months for approval. (Related: Court to hear arguments that regulation of firearm silencers is unconstitutional.)

The legislation, known as the Silencers Help Us Save Hearing (SHUSH) Act, targets the excessive regulations under the National Firearms Act (NFA) that currently make it difficult for individuals to obtain suppressors, which are essential for hearing protection in shooting activities.

Moreover, the SHUSH Act seeks to simplify this by removing suppressors from the purview of the NFA and GCA, treating them as standard firearm accessories; prohibiting states from imposing additional taxes or registration requirements on suppressors; eliminating the $200 transfer tax; streamlining the acquisition process for law-abiding Americans; and allowing active and retired law enforcement to carry concealed suppressors.

“Suppressors are firearm accessories designed to improve safety and comfort for hunters, sports shooters and marksmen,” Cloud and Lee point out in a joint press release. “These tools reduce gunfire noise, lessen recoil and minimize muzzle blast. Despite common misconceptions, suppressors do not render firearms silent.”

If passed, the SHUSH Act would repeal the NFA tax on suppressors, streamline the process for purchasing such devices and prevent states from imposing additional taxes or regulations.

Hawkins: GOP should pass Hearing Protection Act to protect environment

In November 2024, AWR Hawkins, an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News, wrote that suppressors can also reduce environmental noise and proposed passing the Hearing Protection Act.

The bill aims to simplify the process of acquiring suppressors, commonly known as silencers, by removing them from the jurisdiction of the NFA. Currently, obtaining a suppressor is a cumbersome and expensive process that requires a $200 federal tax, extensive background checks and registration with the ATF.

Just like Cloud and Lee, Hawkins also stated that suppressors are not the silent devices often portrayed in movies and television. Instead, they are designed to reduce the loud, explosive noise of a gunshot, protecting the hearing of both the shooter and those nearby. This is a crucial benefit for hunters and recreational target shooters, who can now enjoy their hobbies without risking permanent hearing damage.

In addition to decreasing recoil, minimizing muzzle blast and providing hearing protection, suppressors help lower human-generated noise in the environment, contributing to a quieter ecological setting.

“It is time to pass a Hearing Protection Act so suppressors can be acquired with greater ease to protect the hearing of the hunter and to preserve the natural ambience of the environment in which hunters hunt,” Hawkins concluded.

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