Legislation Search

H.R. 3228: Constitutional Hearing Protection Act

The **Constitutional Hearing Protection Act** is a proposed piece of legislation that seeks to amend the Internal Revenue Code and revise the regulatory status of firearm silencers (also known as suppressors). The bill's key provisions are as follows:

Removal of Silencers from Firearm Definition

The bill aims to remove silencers from the legal definition of firearms. This change means that silencers would no longer be classified as firearms under federal regulations. As a result, acquiring a silencer would not require the same type of registration and documentation currently mandated for firearms.

Registration and Licensing Requirements

Individuals who acquire or possess a silencer in compliance with existing laws would be considered as meeting all registration and licensing requirements under the National Firearms Act. This implies a simplification of the process for legal ownership.

State Law Preemption

The bill includes a provision that would preempt certain state laws regarding silencers. Specifically, if a state or locality attempts to impose additional taxes, registration requirements, or other restrictions on the making, transferring, using, or possessing of silencers that affect interstate commerce, those state laws would be rendered ineffective.

Destruction of Silencer Records

Within one year of the bill’s enactment, the Attorney General would be required to destroy all federal records related to the registration of silencers. This includes any applications or registrations identifying individuals who own silencers, thereby erasing their regulatory footprint from the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.

Amendments to Criminal Code

The bill also proposes amendments to Title 18 of the United States Code to redefine terms associated with silencers and incorporate provisions that would affect their manufacturing and importation:

The definition of a “firearm silencer” would include any device designed to reduce the noise of a firearm.
Importers and manufacturers would be required to mark silencers with a serial number, indicating compliance with federal registration rules.

Legal Implications

The bill stipulates that nothing in the Act would place firearms, previously regulated under the National Firearms Act, under the jurisdiction of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. This indicates that the regulation of silencers would remain under the current firearms law framework rather than being treated like general consumer products.

Effective Date

The changes proposed by this bill would take effect for calendar quarters beginning more than 90 days after its enactment.

Relevant Companies

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This is an AI-generated summary of the bill text. There may be mistakes.

Actions

2 actions

Date	Action
May. 07, 2025	Introduced in House
May. 07, 2025	Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

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