Weatherford, TX — As the U.S. Senate takes up the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” gun control Democrats — led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer — are aggressively pushing to gut a key pro-gun provision that was added in the House: the Hearing Protection Act (HPA).

The House-passed HPA language would eliminate the outdated and punitive $200 tax stamp required to purchase a suppressor and remove suppressors from the National Firearms Act (NFA) altogether — finally treating them like the safety devices they are, not Hollywood-style “silencers” used in assassination thrillers.

But in predictable fashion, Schumer and his anti-gun colleagues have gone on the attack, falsely claiming that deregulation of suppressors would “compromise public safety.”

“Schumer’s claims are ill-informed at best — and idiotic at worst,” said Chris McNutt, President of Texas Gun Rights. “Suppressors don’t silence anything. They simply reduce the deafening report of a firearm to a safer level. That’s not dangerous — it’s responsible.”

Suppressors = Safety, Not Stealth

The Hearing Protection Act has long been championed by gun rights advocates for its common-sense approach to protecting the hearing of lawful shooters, hunters, and sportsmen.

Suppressors reduce muzzle blast — not to make firearms “silent,” but to mitigate permanent hearing loss.

“In most of Europe — where there is no constitutional right to keep and bear arms — it’s considered polite to use a suppressor at the range or while hunting,” McNutt added.

“Yet here in the U.S., anti-gun elites are still pushing 1950s gangster movie myths.”

Despite the overwhelming evidence that suppressors are safety tools, not tools for criminal enterprise, Schumer and a coalition of over 60 Democrats are demanding the Senate strip the HPA from the package — citing the Byrd Rule, which prohibits non-budgetary items from being included in reconciliation bills.

But gun rights supporters point out that removing the $200 fee is clearly a budgetary matter, making the HPA germane to the bill.

Democrats Admit Their Intent: Tax Gun Rights Out of Reach

Perhaps most telling is that Democrats are angry that the tax stamp isn’t higher.

Many on the Left have repeatedly argued the $200 fee — originally set in 1934 — is too low today, and should be adjusted for inflation to keep up with modern “deterrence.”

That’s not about safety — it’s about using bureaucratic red tape and price gouging to restrict constitutional rights.

“If you needed proof that Democrats see the NFA as a backdoor gun ban, here it is,” said McNutt.

“This isn’t about crime or safety. It’s about pricing responsible gun ownership out of reach.”

Texas Gun Rights Urges Cornyn & Cruz to Hold the Line — and Go Further

With the Senate now holding the pen, Texas Gun Rights is urging Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz to not only preserve the HPA language, but also to go on offense by adding language from the SHORT Act — legislation that would remove Short-Barreled Rifles (SBRs) from the NFA as well.

This move would mirror Texas’s own recent progress: SB 1596 — authored by Sen. Brent Hagenbuch and Rep. Richard Hayes, in partnership with Gun Owners of America — passed the Texas Legislature with TXGR’s backing and now sits on Governor Abbott’s desk awaiting signature.

“Washington should follow Texas’s lead,” McNutt said. “We’re decriminalizing SBRs here because the NFA is a relic of gun control extremism. The Senate should take this opportunity to roll back these federal infringements too.”

With pressure mounting and Senate negotiations ongoing, the coming days could prove decisive — not just for suppressors, but for the broader fight to dismantle the unconstitutional overreach of the National Firearms Act.

“Gun owners are watching,” McNutt warned. “If Republicans in the Senate cave to Schumer’s hysteria, it won’t go unnoticed.”

Texas Gun Rights is joining its affiliate, the National Association for Gun Rights, in encouraging pro-gun Texans to contact their Senators Cornyn & Cruz to demand that both the Hearing Protection Act and the SHORT Act be passed as part of this critical legislative package.

Senator John Cornyn: (202) 224-2934
Senator Ted Cruz: (202) 224-5922