The attempt to rolling back regulations on gun silencers and short-barreled rifles and shotguns has suffered major blow. The Senate parliamentarian has ruled that any proposal to relax these restrictions will have to pass the standard 60-vote threshold. Gun-control advocates are rejoicing over this ruling, and understandably so. They argue that these goods have been historically regulated for almost a century and that they represent an exceptional danger to public safety.
Gun-control advocacy organizations claim that relaxing restrictions on these highly controlled, regulated items would present new dangers to first responders and communities. They defend the current rules, arguing they are necessary to protect the public. According to Emma Brown, executive director of a gun-control organization, “removing safeguards on gun silencers would have made it easier for violent criminals to escape, putting both law enforcement and civilians at greater risk.” She further added that “removing safeguards on short barreled firearms would have only enabled more criminals to access these easily concealable weapons, which can be easily brought into large crowds.”
Under the National Firearms Act, anyone looking to acquire a highly regulated weapon must submit to a fingerprint-based background check. This process as it exists today can stretch for weeks or even months, leading to the frustrations expressed today by many gun rights supporters. Larry Keane, of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, testified in favor of the proposed legislation to restrict regulation of silencers. He contends that the proposed modifications would mostly benefit target shooters and hunters, who use them to protect their hearing. “All it’s ever intended to do is to reduce the report of the firearm to hearing safe levels,” asserted Keane.
Gun rights organizations have long complained that the current $200 tax on regulated items is excessively burdensome. John Commerford, then the executive director of the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action, went positively medieval. He stressed their dedication to continue working with allies on Capitol Hill to remove the unfair tax burden on constitutionally-protected arms.
This ruling by the Senate parliamentarian has resulted in fierce battles between legislators. This unelected parliamentarian, originally appointed by former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, makes enormous contributions to the discussion’s direction. In Congress, Republicans are pushing to remove regulations for gun silencers and short-barreled guns. This push is an extension of a comprehensive playbook to build support for their priorities on the policy front and spending pursuits.
Senator Ron Wyden called out the industry’s effort to include these kinds of proposals in reconciliation bills. He remarked, “It’s no surprise that Republicans will jump at any opportunity to please the gun lobby by rolling back gun safety measures, but that kind of policy does not belong in a reconciliation bill.”
