Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ eases restrictions on gun suppressors, drawing local backlash
May 22, 2025, 5:47 PM
An attendee looks at a display of suppressors during the National Rifle Association (NRA) Annual Meeting & Exhibits at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. (Photo: Justin Sullivan via Getty Images)
(Photo: Justin Sullivan via Getty Images)
The U.S. House of Representatives passed President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” early Thursday morning, and when they did, they also passed a provision that eases Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) regulations on the purchase and possession of gun silencers, also known as gun suppressors.
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It is legal to purchase and own a suppressor, which reduces the sound of gunfire. But, for nearly 100 years, since the days of Chicago gangster Al Capone, suppressors have been heavily regulated by the National Firearms Act of 1934. Owning one requires a $200 suppressor tax, additional paperwork, and a background check far beyond what is required to purchase a handgun. If the”big, beautiful bill” becomes law, the $200 tax stamp requirement would be eliminated.
Democrats say it will negatively impact public safety, but Republicans and the National Rifle Association, which supports the measure, call it hearing protection legislation.
“This is about making sure that people keep their hearing, at the end of the day,” Missouri Republican Representative Eric Burlison told Reuters.
The bill still has to pass the Senate, and its chances there are unclear at the moment.
“It will make it harder for potential victims of a mass shooting to know where the shots are coming from, as they try to run for cover,” Democrat Representative Mike Thompson said in an interview with Reuters.
Retired King County Sheriff: Gun suppressors are ‘one more thing that can get stolen’
Retired King County Sheriff John Urquhart said the legislation will only cause harm.
“It’s one more thing that can get stolen,” he said. “It’s going to end up on the street and make the police and the citizens, therefore, less safe. Every so-called street gun was not sold to the person using it, teenagers, especially. These are all stolen guns. Now we’re going to have stolen silencers, or suppressors.”
Urquhart also noted Shotspotter technology, which uses sensors to detect, locate, and alert police to gunfire incidents, would be less effective.
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