Sen. Jeff Duncan's bill, gun control groups argue, is one of the top legislative goals for the powerful National Rifle Association and is opposed by many police organizations. | Mark Wilson/Getty Images GOP lawmaker pushes gun silencer bill

Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) is renewing his controversial push to make it easier to buy gun silencers, a debate that had been postponed following the shooting of Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) in June.

Duncan included the silencer provision in a broader bill, the “Sportsmen Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act,” or SHARE Act. There are several gun-related items in the package, which is being marked up by the Natural Resources Committee this week.


Duncan argues that silencers are used by hunters and target shooters to limit potential hearing loss from gunfire. Duncan introduced a stand-alone silencer bill, dubbed the “Hearing Protection Act," in January. That legislation currently has 160 co-sponsors, including several Democrats.

But gun control groups argue that Duncan's bill is one of the top legislative goals for the powerful National Rifle Association and is opposed by many police organizations. There is also very little chance Duncan's bill would be able to pass the Senate due to Democratic opposition.

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"NRA leadership and their friends in Congress have gone behind closed doors to try to prop up lagging gun sales by making it easy for anyone to buy a silencer without a background check," said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. "This sham bill is a giveaway to the gun lobby, which cannot be allowed to use Congress to put profits ahead of public safety."

House GOP leaders have not committed to a floor vote on the measure, though a Republican leadership aide said it could come up later this month or in early October.

Duncan did not respond to a request for an interview.

The original hearing for the SHARE Act in June was canceled following the attack on Scalise and other GOP lawmakers in Alexandria, Va.

Under the 1934 National Firearms Act, silencers — also known as suppressors — are treated similarly to machine guns or explosives. The waiting time to purchase such devices is far longer than for handguns or other weapons, as much as nine months or more. Buyers must submit fingerprints and a photograph in order to purchase a silencer, and federal law enforcement agencies keep a record of who buys the devices. There is also a $200 transfer tax on silencers.

Duncan’s proposal would eliminate those requirements, as well as refunding the $200 transfer tax to anyone who has purchased a silencer since October 2015.