This bill removes silencers from federal firearms regulation, exempting them from National Firearms Act registration and Gun Control Act background checks. It preempts state and local silencer laws and allows law enforcement officers to carry concealed silencers.
Latest Action
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
AI Summary
Plain-English explanation of this bill
This bill removes silencers from federal firearms regulation, exempting them from National Firearms Act registration and Gun Control Act background checks. It preempts state and local silencer laws and allows law enforcement officers to carry concealed silencers.
Last updated: 1/5/2026
Official Summary
Congressional Research Service summary
<p><strong>Silencers Help Us Save Hearing Act or the SHUSH Act</strong></p><p>This bill removes silencers from regulation under federal firearms laws.</p><p>Specifically, it removes silencers from the list of firearms subject to regulation (i.e., registration and licensing requirements) under the National Firearms Act (NFA). Additionally, it excludes a muffler or silencer from the list of firearms subject to regulation (e.g., background check requirements) under the Gun Control Act of 1968 (GCA).</p><p>Additionally, the bill does the following:</p><ul><li>preempts state or local laws that tax or regulate firearm silencers,</li><li>specifies that a person who lawfully acquires or possesses a silencer under provisions of the GCA meets the registration and licensing requirements of the NFA,</li><li>eliminates mandatory minimum prison terms for a crime of violence or drug trafficking offense in which a defendant uses or carries a firearm equipped with a silencer or muffler, and</li><li>permits active and retired law enforcement officers to carry a concealed silencer.</li></ul><p>Finally, the bill excludes firearm mufflers and silencers from<em></em> regulation by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. (Current law generally excludes firearms from regulation by the commission.)</p>
Key Points
Main provisions of the bill
Removes silencers from National Firearms Act regulation
Exempts silencers from background check requirements
Preempts state and local silencer laws
Eliminates mandatory minimums for crimes using silencers
Allows law enforcement to carry concealed silencers
How This Impacts Americans
Potential effects on citizens and communities
Purchasing silencers would become much easier, similar to buying any other firearm accessory. The 200 dollar tax and registration requirements would be eliminated. State and local silencer restrictions would be overridden by federal law.
Policy Areas
Primary Policy Area
Crime and Law Enforcement
Related Subjects
Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Consumer Product Safety Commission
Consumer affairs
Criminal procedure and sentencing
Federal preemption
Firearms and explosives
Law enforcement officers
State and local government operations
Scope & Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction Level
federal
Congressional Session
119th Congress
Citation Reference
345, 119th Congress (2025). "SHUSH Act". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-s-345