Democratic New Jersey Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman re-introduced legislation on June 8 that would impose an Australia-style “buyback” for suppressors.
The legislation would prohibit civilian ownership of suppressors, while authorizing the attorney general to “buy back” the suppressors currently privately owned in accordance with the National Firearms Act (NFA). Watson Coleman announced the re-introduction of the measure in a June 8 release.
“Silencers are not tools of self-defense, they are tools of murder,” Watson Coleman claimed. “They have no legal application which is why law enforcement officials around the country have been calling for their elimination. The HEAR Act will save lives and is part of the common sense approach to firearms legislation that polls show has widespread support among voters on both sides of the aisle.”
“Rep. Watson Coleman’s proposed legislation is a non-starter. It is a stark example of favoring a political antigun agenda over true firearm safety,” National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) spokesman Mark Oliva told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Suppressors are hearing safety devices. They are unlike what is portrayed in movies. They do not silence firearms but reduce the noise signature to one that will not cause instant and permanent hearing damage.”
The reconciliation bill signed into law by President Donald Trump in July 2025 contained provisions that reduced the taxes on suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns and guns described as “any other weapon” to $0 after the Senate parliamentarian struck language that removed those items from NFA’s purview. The NSSF reported that over 6.1 million suppressors are privately-owned.
“In April 2026 alone, ATF received 127,996 Form 4 applications. Thanks to the diligence of federal agencies including ATF and FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), Individual eForm 4 median processing times are now down to seven days. That’s called evidence of lawful demand,” NSSF said in a Monday blog entry.
“The number of suppressors that are in legal hands all over the country undoubtedly makes them in common use for lawful purposes,” Second Amendment Foundation Senior Director of Legal Operations William Sack told the DCNF, adding that it would clearly render suppressors as protected by the Second Amendment.
Democratic Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy introduced legislation to boost the taxes on suppressors and other firearms and accessories covered by the NFA to nearly $5000 in January.
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