Source (https://www.guns.com/news/2025/05/21/house-committee-sends-bill-full-hearing-protection-act-to-floor)
Currently, the ownership of suppressors is legal in 42 states, while it is prohibited in California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island. Additionally, suppressors are legal for hunting in 41 of these states. In short, suppressors have become mainstream. Unfortunately for law-abiding citizens, owning suppressors involves a different process than filling out a Form 4473, as is done when purchasing a firearm. The NFA process, until recently, was an arduous paper form that required ink fingerprints, a photo, and excessive paperwork. Part of the rise of suppressors can be attributed to the spread of information. Many people were largely unaware of the process involved in ownership, and an NFA check could take over 12 months for approval.
Back in 2022 (actually December of 2021, but things take time with the government), E-filing relaunched for NFA checks. This meant that any dealer could capture electronic fingerprints, passport photo, and signature, and digitally complete an ATF Form 4 (Application for Tax Paid Transfer and Registration of Firearm)without having to mail anything (this is different from a Silencer Shop Kiosk or Silencer Central), but approvals still took months. A couple of years later, the NFA finally streamlined its submission and check process, fast-tracking approvals to weeks or even days. However, this all may be a thing of the past.
As part of the “One, Big, Beautiful Bill,” the 2025 Hearing Protection Act is progressing toward passage. The act would officially strike “any silencer” from the NFA. This doesn’t mean there will be a free-for-all; silencers remain regulated by the Gun Control Act of 1968, meaning they will be treated like any standard long gun or handgun. The HPA was not included in the “One, Big, Beautiful Bill” until the Rules Committee approved the manager’s amendment with an 8-4 vote. H.R. 1, the 1,100-page bill, passed by the slimmest of margins—215-214. Now it moves to the Senate. Not included in the House’s version of the bill is the SHORT Act (The Stop Harassing Owners of Rifles Today Act—clever). This act would also remove short-barreled rifles and shotguns from the NFA. This includes any rifle with a barrel length of under 16 inches or a shotgun under 18 inches. For Second Amendment advocates, these lengths have long been viewed as arbitrary and unsupported by data. However, the SHORT could be added to the bill via the Senate.
Nevertheless, the HPA demonstrates real progress in protecting 2A rights and the demise of the NFA. The removal of suppressors from the NFA is in concert with many other nations, including Norway, Sweden, Finland, and South Africa, where suppressors aren’t regulated. In other European countries, like the Czech Republic (and similarly in Germany), they are regulated but require the lowest level of firearm license to own one.
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