1、CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress INSIGHTINSIGHTi i Gun Control: Silencers under the Hearing Protection Act (H.R. 3668) William J. Krouse Specialist in Domestic Security and Crime Policy October 16, 2017 Firearm silencers are currently regulated under the 1934 National Fire
2、arms Act (NFA) and the Gun Control Act of 1968 (GCA). Both statutes use the definition of a silencer/muffler included in the GCA. The Department of Justices Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) is the lead federal agency that administers those statutes. The Hearing Protection A
3、ct (HPA) would remove firearm silencers from regulation under the NFA. Silencers would continue to be regulated under the GCA in a manner similar to the way long guns (rifles and shotguns) are regulated under this law. On September 18, 2017, the House Committee on Natural Resources reported the HPA
4、as part of the Sportsmens Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act (H.R. 3668). This bill was referred to other committees, but they were discharged from further consideration. (See also H.R. 367, S. 59, and H.R. 3139.) Firearm Silencer or Muffler Definition Under the GCA, the terms “firearm silenc