SHOT Show–SilencerCo: Trump Presidency Provides ‘Clear Path’ for Suppressor Deregulation

On the December 5, 2016 episode of “Bullets with AWR Hawkins,” SilencerCo’s Josh Waldron anticipated the introduction of legislation aimed at reducing regulations on firearm suppressors but stressed that his anticipation was balanced by knowledge that the passage of the legislation would be difficult.

The legislation–titled the “Hearing Protection Act“–has now been introduced; it was put forward on January 9 by Representatives Jeff Duncan (R-SC-3) and John Carter (R-TX-31). Breitbart News caught up with Waldron at the 2017 SHOT Show to see where the bill stands and if his prediction of a battle for passage still appears to be on mark.

He said, “The first step is getting it approved in committees, so the first thing we’ve got to do is really start to hammer the committee members–Senators and Representives–with letters, emails, phone calls, everything we can do as an industry. Anybody who really believes in the Second Amendment needs to start to make those calls and send those letters so lawmakers in committee know how important this is.

Getting through committee is going to be really hard. And once get it through committee we still need 60 votes in the Senate. So this is not going to be easy. Everybody thinks this is just going to happen overnight but it’s not. It’s going to take 18 months, maybe two years, maybe four years.”

But Waldron was clear that a looming struggle for passage is no reason to lose heart. He said, “Does the tough road to passage mean we give up hope? No. This is the first time since 1934–when the National Firearms Act was introduced–that we have the abilities, with a clear path, to get this done.”

On November 14, 2016, Breitbart News reported that deregulation of suppressors could be a reality under President Donald Trump. We quoted Donald Trump Jr., who explained his father’s love of the Second Amendment and said suppressor regulation in America is an example of “arbitrary policies [made] by people who don’t know what they’re talking about.”

Donald Jr. was confident his father would support deregulating suppressor purchases if Congress gets a bill to his desk. Donald Jr. said, “We want to go through Congress, want to do it the right way, but if you line up those votes he is obviously going to be for it.”