Hearing Protection Act – If it passes as a bill

At AXIL keeping our community informed about important topics that is important to us. We’ve written a 4 part piece on the Hearing Protection Act so you can stay informed.

Hearing Protection Act Part 1: Overview

Hearing Protection Act Part 2: What you should know

Hearing Protection Act Part 4: What if it doesn’t pass as a bill

Hearing Protection Act Part 3: If it passes as a bill

The Hearing Protection Act (HPA) can be a solution to a problem that has been riddling legal firearms owners since 1934. This was a bill that was enacted by Congress as a method to in theory limit gun violence and is enforced by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE). For many that haven’t realized already, laws don’t necessarily stop crime. If anything, it simply limits the abilities of legal and law-abiding citizens to potentially protect themselves.

Owning and using firearms can build confidence as well as be used as a life-saving implement. The downside is if you’re not careful, it can come at a cost. Your hearing is one of the few highly sensitive areas of the human body. Unlike cuts, breaks, or bruises that will heal over time, your hearing won’t come back. Hence why protecting it is of the utmost priority. Obviously, your hearing will deteriorate over time, but why not preserve it for as long as possible? If the size or fit is off the tiniest bit and allows that sound of the gunfire in, your hearing can be permanently damaged unintentionally. Read more on hearing loss symptoms

To reduce the variable of allowing gunfire to be the major cause of your hearing loss, the go-to solution would be to allow suppressors to be more readily available. The fact of the matter is, it takes a dedicated individual to want to start down the road of obtaining a “Tax Stamp” through the BATFE. It’s a lot of paperwork, fees and wait times in order to obtain one. If you have one already for your pistol and want one for your rifle, the entire process needs to be repeated over. In addition to that, if you for whatever reason decide to leave state lines and decide to bring it with you, you need to notify BATFE. Learn more how to buy a silencer 

If the HPA gets approved, it would allow anyone that can legally own a firearm could own a suppressor without any additional steps. It would be similar to filling out a 4473 form when you purchase a firearm from your local FFL. There are a lot more viable benefits for owning a suppressor outside of a direct benefit to the user. The main complaint I hear from public ranges is how it directly effects its surrounding community. For or against guns, ranges can be loud and negatively impact someone else’s day to day. By allowing firearm owners to purchase suppressors at their discretion, it’ll potentially reduce the overall sound “pollution” around the community. Another glanced over benefit is in a home defense scenario. Gunfire indoors is immediately magnified due to it being trapped indoors. Unless individuals are staging hearing protection next to their nightstand gun, they’re in for a rude awakening. This is where yet again, suppressors would have a great application.

The HPA is a bill that can allow so many benefits to the end user, yet still have the same process as purchasing a firearm. In the final installment we’ll touch on what will occur if the bill ends up not passing again.

When it comes to hearing protection Axil has some of the most innovative electronic hearing protection devices on the market. If electronic protection isn’t in your budget and you’re looking for top of the line hearing protection plugs check out the Axil earplug products

Read Part 4: Hearing Protection Act Part 4: What if it doesn’t pass as a bill