S. 345 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the Senate, Jan 30, 2025
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryRemoves silencers from federal gun regulations
This bill would change how federal law treats firearm silencers—devices that reduce the sound of gunfire. Right now, silencers are regulated like firearms themselves under national law, requiring registration and licensing. The bill would remove those requirements and stop states and cities from taxing or regulating silencers on their own.
How it affects you
If you own or want to own a silencer, you would no longer need federal registration or licensing for it, and state and local governments couldn't impose their own rules. The bill would also change criminal penalties, removing mandatory minimum prison sentences in certain crimes involving silencers. Active and retired law enforcement officers would be allowed to carry concealed silencers under the bill.
Read the official summary (Introduced in Senate, Jan 30, 2025)
Silencers Help Us Save Hearing Act or the SHUSH Act
This bill removes silencers from regulation under federal firearms laws.
Specifically, it removes silencers from the list of firearms subject to regulation (i.e., registration and licensing requirements) under the National Firearms Act (NFA). Additionally, it excludes a muffler or silencer from the list of firearms subject to regulation (e.g., background check requirements) under the Gun Control Act of 1968 (GCA).
Additionally, the bill does the following:
• preempts state or local laws that tax or regulate firearm silencers,
• specifies that a person who lawfully acquires or possesses a silencer under provisions of the GCA meets the registration and licensing requirements of the NFA,
• eliminates mandatory minimum prison terms for a crime of violence or drug trafficking offense in which a defendant uses or carries a firearm equipped with a silencer or muffler, and
• permits active and retired law enforcement officers to carry a concealed silencer.
Finally, the bill excludes firearm mufflers and silencers from regulation by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. (Current law generally excludes firearms from regulation by the commission.)
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionS. 345
A BILL
SHUSH Act
Sponsor: Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) · Introduced Jan 30, 2025 · Crime and Law Enforcement · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Jan 30, 2025: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.”
Sections
Sections · 6
- Sec. 1Short titleNo change
- Sec. 2Equal treatment of silencers and firearmsNo change
- Sec. 3Treatment of certain silencersNo change
- Sec. 4Preemption of certain State laws in relation to firearm silencersNo change
- Sec. 5Silencers and mufflers not to be federally regulatedNo change
- Sec. 6Excepting silencers from regulation by the Consumer Product Safety CommissionNo change