Keefe Report: Listen Up— It's Called the Hearing Protection Act

by
posted on October 29, 2015
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
silencerco.jpg
If you drive a '73 Plymouth Fury III down Main Street after dropping the back half of its exhaust system, you likely will get a ticket. It is a loud, concussive experience—until you put a muffler on it. Then it is just a Sunday drive with a rustbelt classic. But try and reduce the report of a firearm with more than century old technology and you not only need to pay $200 and undergo a lengthy application process, including fingerprints, photographs and a visit to your local sheriff's office—all in the interest of keeping the sound of gunfire from damaging your and others' hearing.

In the 1910s and 1920s, American Rifleman's pages were filled with advertisements for the Maxim Silencer Company. Not Sir Hiram Maxim, but his son Hiram P. Maxim, who was a quite a prolific inventor and a dedicated shooter as well. Arms historian David Truby penned an excellent article for us back in the 1980s entitled "Dr. Shush."  

Suppressors—none completely eliminates all sounds of of firing—were grouped in with machine guns and sawed-off shotguns under the National Firearms Act of 1934. But do they really belong in the same category as a machine gun? All they do is reduce the number of decibels produced by a gun shot. And that reduction can vary, but the bottom line is that they make guns "ear safe" without affecting how they perform otherwise. In other countries—including those with very restrictive gun laws—suppressors are considered the polite thing to do. Shooting unsuppressed is frowned upon; it's simply rude. And in an unusual bit of irony, a suppressor you can buy at the hardware story in other countries takes six months and the permission of the Federal Government here.

Well, instead of talking about preventing hearing damage, Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ) is actually doing something about it. Last week he introduced H.R. 3799, the Hearing Protection Act (HPA).  which can do something for the shooters of today and tomorrow. It can prevent them from becoming deaf like me.

For more on suppressors and how they work, please enjoy the following articles:

Suppressors: Taking the Bang Out of Shooting
The Real Scoop on Sound Suppression
Sound Suppressors 101
Suppressors for Hearing and the Shooting Sports
Q&A With the American Suppressor Association
Suppressors: What We Can Learn from the UK Experience





Latest

Gotw Rra Lar 22 Tactical Carbine Web
Gotw Rra Lar 22 Tactical Carbine Web

Gun Of The Week: Rock River Arms LAR-22 Tactical Carbine

This week, we're on the range with the Rock River Arms LAR-22 Tactical Carbine, a rimfire variant of the AR-15 that's designed for reliability and gives enthusiasts a way to shoot affordably.

The Armed Citizen® July 11, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Japanese Last-Ditch Small Arms Of World War II

The crude assortment of fighting tools used by the Japanese during World War II give clues of an unprepared and unmatched last-ditch fight that ultimately lead to Allied victory.

Federal Ammunition Awards 2025 Tom Knapp Memorial Scholarships

Federal Ammunition recently awarded the 2025 Tom Knapp Memorial Scholarships to two 4-H shooting sports teen ambassadors.

2025 Optic Of The Year: Burris Eliminator 6

Even as new generation after new generation of Burris Eliminator continued to add more advanced technology and functionality, it remained odd-looking—until the launch of this year’s sixth-generation product, which is the first in the line that can mount atop a rifle using standard 34 mm scope rings.

I Have This Old Gun: Star Model B

Of the many Spanish-made firearms to emerge throughout the 19th and 20th century, one of the most recognizable is the Star Model B, largely due to its similarity to the Colt Model 1911.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.