Let me tell you something that ought to make every gun owner in this country angry. Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman from New Jersey just reintroduced the HEAR Act — and this isn't just another 'we can't sell you this' bill. This one wants to take what you already own.
The HEAR Act would ban the possession of suppressors. Not future sales — possession. That means if you went through the NFA process, filed your paperwork, submitted your fingerprints, waited for ATF approval, and paid your tax stamp, the government now wants to call you a felon for keeping it.
Here's the kicker: there's no grandfather clause. None. The hunter who bought a suppressor to protect his hearing? Outlawed. The homeowner with one on his defensive rifle? Outlawed. The competition shooter? Outlawed. The veteran with hearing damage who needs one? Outlawed.
Instead, the bill gives the Attorney General 90 days to set up a "buyback" program. That's political speak for 'surrender your property or become a criminal.' The government can't buy back something it never owned. You bought these with your own money after jumping through bureaucratic hoops.
ATF's own numbers show over 6 million suppressors registered. Six million! And now they want to confiscate them all. How? Simple — because they're already registered. The Form 4 process ties your name, the serial number, and your address together. The government knows exactly who has what and where they live.
This is exactly what we've been warning about. Registration leads to confiscation. For years, anti-gunners called us paranoid for saying so. Now here's the proof in black and white: ban possession, force surrender, criminalize refusal.
The anti-gun crowd will tell you suppressors are 'tools of murder' with 'no legal application.' Really? Then why did the federal government spend decades approving, taxing, and registering them? The Hollywood myth is that suppressors make guns whisper-quiet. They don't. They reduce sound — they don't eliminate it. Their real value is hearing protection, recoil reduction, and safer shooting.
Here's what really grinds my gears: the bill carves out exceptions for government agencies, law enforcement, campus cops, and nuclear facility security. So the very politicians who claim suppressors are too dangerous for ordinary Americans make sure government agents get to keep theirs. The problem was never the device. The problem is civilian ownership.
We don't have the votes for this to pass right now. But make no mistake — this is the playbook. Today suppressors. Tomorrow magazines. Next week semi-autos. They are not hiding the agenda anymore.
Registration first. Confiscation later. Felony charges for anyone who refuses.