SHUSH Act

Key Points

• This bill, introduced by Senator Lee, would change how the federal government regulates gun silencers. Instead of being treated like highly restricted firearms, silencers would be classified as simple gun accessories, similar to a scope or a holster.
• Currently, people who want to buy a silencer must pay a $200 tax, submit fingerprints to the government, and wait for a special background check. This law would eliminate that tax and the requirement to register silencers in a federal database.
• The proposal would stop states and local governments from creating their own taxes or registration systems for silencers. This would create a single national standard where silencers are treated as hearing protection tools rather than dangerous weapons.
• If the bill becomes law, the government would refund the $200 tax to anyone who bought a silencer in the two years before the law started. It also removes extra prison penalties that are currently added to sentences for crimes committed while using a silencer.
• The bill also ensures that silencers are not regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, treating them the same as firearms which are already exempt from that agency's rules.