# The HEAR Act of 2023: What You Need to Know About Firearm Silencers

The HEAR Act would make it illegal for regular people to buy, sell, make, or own firearm silencers and mufflers anywhere in the United States. Right now, silencers are legal to own in most states if you follow federal registration rules, but this bill would change that completely. If passed, anyone currently owning a silencer would need to get rid of it or face criminal penalties.

The law would have some narrow exceptions for law enforcement officers, military personnel, nuclear facility security workers, and licensed manufacturers doing testing with government approval. Campus police officers at private colleges would also be allowed to use silencers for their work. But for everyday citizens, there would be no legal way to possess these devices after the law takes effect. The bill gives people 90 days after it becomes law to comply before the ban kicks in.

To help people follow the new law, the bill creates a federal buyback program where the government would purchase silencers from people who want to turn them in. This would be funded through existing federal crime-fighting grants. Anyone caught violating the ban could face criminal charges, and any silencers found would be seized by authorities. The penalties would be the same as other serious federal gun violations, which can include significant fines and prison time.

The bill's supporters argue that silencers make it harder to detect gunshots and could help criminals avoid detection during violent crimes. Those opposed to the ban argue that silencers have legitimate uses for hearing protection and that the law infringes on Second Amendment rights. Either way, if this bill becomes law, it would represent a major shift in how silencers are regulated in America.

HEAR Act of 2023

Watson Coleman, Bonnie

Help Empower Americans to Respond Act of 2023 or the HEAR Act of 2023 This bill establishes a new criminal offense for the import, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession of a firearm silencer or firearm muffler. The bill does not prohibit certain conduct with respect to a firearm silencer or firearm muffler, including the following: <ul> <li>importation, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession related to certain law enforcement efforts, or authorized tests or experiments; and </li> <li>importation, sale, transfer, or possession related to securing nuclear materials. </li> </ul> In addition, the bill requires the Department of Justice to establish and implement a buy-back program to purchase firearm silencers and firearm mufflers. States and local governments may use Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program funds to compensate individuals who surrender firearm silencers and firearm mufflers under this buy-back program.