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A new bill introduced by two Republican U.S. Senators would protect gun owners from overreach by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in regard to firearm suppressors of \u201csilencers.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Protecting Americans\u2019 Right to Silence (PARTS) Act<\/a>, introduced by U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, and U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Montana, would modernize outdated federal regulations on firearm suppressors, providing much-needed clarity to manufacturers, retailers and law-abiding gun owners.<\/p>\n According to Sen. Cassidy, the ATF\u2019s vague and outdated definition of \u201csilencer\u201d under the Gun Control Act could allow unelected bureaucrats to classify individual silencer components as regulated silencers, leading to unnecessary restrictions on gun owners and manufacturers. In 2023, the ATF issued guidance suggesting that even simple, unassembled parts could be considered regulated silencers\u2014an overreach that threatens Second Amendment rights and stifles industry innovation.<\/p>\n The PARTS Act would help alleviate that potential overreach by updating the definition of \u2018silencer\u2019\u00a0to focus on complete devices and a single principal component\u2014similar to a firearm\u2019s frame or receiver\u2014rather than broad, vague terms like \u201ccombination of parts\u201d or \u201cany part intended only for use\u201d in a silencer. Additionally, it would ensure that gun owners could purchase replacement parts\u00a0like wipes without burdensome ATF paperwork and prevent ATF from using subjective interpretation\u00a0to unfairly target gun owners and businesses.<\/p>\n