# Suppressors on Chopping Block? Representative Proposes Suppressor Ban House representatives are taking aim at suppressors, introducing the Help Empower Americans to Respond Act, which would effectively ban the devices. The [**HEAR Act**](https://watsoncoleman.house.gov/imo/media/doc/help_empower_americans_to_respond_hear_act_bill_text1.pdf) would prohibit importation, sale, manufacturing, transfer, and even possession of “gun silencers or suppressors.” Under the bill, there would be no grandfathering of current suppressor owners. In fact, the legislation would authorize buybacks of suppressors 90 days after the bill becomes law. Endorsed by Newtown Action Alliance, supporters of the bill say it's time to get suppressors off the streets. “Silencers are not tools of self-defense, they are tools of murder,” bill sponsor Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) said in a **[statement](https://watsoncoleman.house.gov/newsroom/press-releases/rep-watson-coleman-reintroduces-gun-safety-legislation-to-outlaw-gun-silencers)**. “They have no legal application, which is why law enforcement officials around the country have been calling for their elimination. The HEAR Act will save lives and is part of the common-sense approach to firearms legislation that polls show has widespread support among voters on both sides of the aisle.” Suppressor sales [**skyrocketed** ](https://www.pewpewtactical.com/suppressor-boom-0-tax/)in January 2026 after the removal of the $200 tax stamp fee – part of the Trump administration’s “Big, Beautiful Bill.” “Awareness and interest amplified with the tax stamp going away, and we’ve seen organic growth in the market as more people start shooting suppressed and then get their friends and family on board. It really is an elevated shooting experience, less noise and less recoil. This market is just going to continue to grow,” Brandon Maddox, CEO of Silencer Central, told Pew Pew Tactical in March. There are currently **[over 6 million suppresso](https://www.atf.gov/resource-center/data-statistics)[r](https://www.atf.gov/resource-center/data-statistics)[s](https://www.atf.gov/resource-center/data-statistics)** on file with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Watson Coleman is not seeking reelection in 2026 and, under the current Republican-stacked Congress, the chances of the bill making it all the way are unlikely. **What do you think of the ATF overhaul? Let us know in the comments below.** Additional Resources -------------------- - [**HEAR Act**](https://watsoncoleman.house.gov/imo/media/doc/help_empower_americans_to_respond_hear_act_bill_text1.pdf) - [**Rep.** **Bonnie Watson Coleman**](https://watsoncoleman.house.gov/newsroom/press-releases/rep-watson-coleman-reintroduces-gun-safety-legislation-to-outlaw-gun-silencers) - **[ATF Data & Statistics](https://www.atf.gov/resource-center/data-statistics)**