Victory: Gun silencer provision struck from “Big Beautiful Bill”

WASHINGTON — Today, the Senate Parliamentarian ruled that the provision in the “Big Beautiful Bill” to remove safeguards that prevent gun silencers and short barreled firearms from ending up in the wrong hands must be taken out of the bill, as it does not comply with the Byrd rule. The House-passed bill removed silencers from the National Firearms Act (NFA), where they have been regulated since 1934. Nearly 100 years ago, Congress enacted registration, background checks, and fees for these weapons because of the magnitude of their dangerousness and the regularity with which they were used in crime. 

Silencers and short barreled firearms other than handguns are rarely used in crimes today because current law has successfully stopped them from falling into the wrong hands. Because of these regulations, the shooters in the 2022 Tops Friendly Market massacre in Buffalo, New York, and the 2023 Lewiston, Maine, were unable to access silencers. 

“This is a win for gun safety and American communities. Removing safeguards on gun silencers would have made it easier for violent criminals to escape, putting both law enforcement and civilians at greater risk. GIFFORDS’ recent polling shows that, by a wide margin, voters oppose removing the commonsense laws we have that keep silencers out of dangerous hands. What’s more, removing safeguards on short barreled firearms would have only enabled more criminals to access these easily concealable weapons, which can be easily brought into large crowds ,” said GIFFORDS Executive Director Emma Brown. “We thank the elected leaders in the Senate that spoke out against this provision and worked to have it removed.”