WASHINGTON -- Texas sport shooters in Congress want to make gun silencers cheaper -- but to do it, they’re going to have to make some noise.

For two years, more than 80 congressmen have supported a bill that would eliminate a $200 tax enforced on gun silencers, also known as gun suppressors. But even with some bipartisan support and limited opposition, the bill, known as the Hearing Protection Act, hasn’t garnered sufficient momentum to make it out of committee.

“We’ve got a lot going on,” said Rep. Roger Williams, R-Austin, who co-sponsored the legislation when it was introduced in 2015. “But if it got out of committee, I think it would pass no problem.”

Anyone who wants to purchase a gun silencer must go through a nine-month approval process before paying the tax, on top of the cost of the silencer. Silencers typically cost several hundreds of dollars, and some models cost more than $1,000.

If the legislation passes, the nine-month process would be replaced with the much faster National Instant Criminal Background check, which is used for firearms.

Advocates have worked hard to frame the hurdles prospective silencer buyers face as a public safety issue, rather than as a gun control issue. They say silencer is a misleading title because the accessory doesn’t fully eliminate the sound of the shot -- it just lowers the decibel count near the shooter’s ear.

“We’ve spent a fair amount of time in the last few sessions trying to educate legislators about gun suppressors, about what they do and what they don’t do,” said Owen Miller, who directs outreach for the American Suppressor Association.

“We put a muffler on vehicles -- why not on rifles?”

The bill has significant support in Texas -- 14 members of the Texas delegation signed on as co-sponsors on the first version of the bill, introduced in 2015, and the 2017 version was introduced by Rep. John Carter of Round Rock this week.

Twelve additional Texans in the House, including two Democrats, are members of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, which strongly supports the bill. Sen. John Cornyn is also a member.

Rep. Gene Green of Houston co-chairs the caucus. Although he said he prefers to use earmuffs when he goes shooting because they’re cheaper, smaller and much lighter, the Houston Democrat said he can’t see why suppressors need to be even more expensive for hunting enthusiasts.

“There would still be a bang, you’d still have to get cleared through the national database,” Green said. “It just wouldn’t hurt your eardrum if you weren’t wearing ear protection.”

Although the debate around gun-related issues is emotional and contentious, opposition to the legislation has been limited.

Kristen Rand, the legislative director of the Violence Policy Center, told The Washington Post she predicted outrage, but two of the most prominent gun-control organizations -- Everytown for Gun Safety and the Brady Campaign -- declined to comment for this article, and neither group released a statement when the bill was re-filed earlier this week.

As Williams noted, the bill hasn't made it to the House floor for a vote. But if it landed on president-elect Donald Trump's desk, Williams said he has no doubt Trump would sign it -- especially because his son, Donald Trump Jr., is an avid hunter who's appeared in videos for a Utah-based gun silencer manufacturer.

“It might be a big benefit to have him support it,” Williams said. “It’s a health issue.”