Sheehy Cuts Red Tape, Protects Gun Owners with PARTS Act

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Tim Sheehy (R – Mont.) introduced the Protecting Americans Right to Silence (PARTS) Act to cut red tape for firearms businesses and ensure gun-owners can safely exercise their Second Amendment rights without fear of criminalization. Senators Daines (R – Mont.), Lee (R – UT), Cassidy (R – La.), Ricketts (R – Neb.), Budd (R – N.C.), Justice (R – W.Va.), and Cornyn (R – TX) joined Senator Sheehy in introducing the bill.

The PARTS Act is proactive legislation that would provide much-needed clarity for manufacturers, retailers, and consumers and modernizes the outdated definition of a silencer to align it with current technologies, practices, and demands.

“Montana is home to a proud firearms heritage and the most firearms and ammunitions businesses per capita in the country. The PARTS Act will go a long way in protecting this heritage and supporting businesses in Montana and across the country. I’m proud to lead this commonsense legislation to cut red tape and ensure Americans can exercise their Second Amendment rights safely and freely,” said Senator Sheehy.

 Statements of Support
“With more and more Americans choosing to safeguard their hearing by using suppressors while shooting, the PARTS Act would provide a clear understanding of what legally constitutes a suppressor under the NFA. Clarifying these ambiguous and oftentimes amorphous standards would provide peace of mind for both manufacturers and the consumers who would otherwise choose to protect their hearing health, if not for fear of criminalization,” said NRA-ILA Executive Director John Commerford.

 “We greatly appreciate the chance to work with Senator Sheehy’s office on such a profound piece of legislation. Imprecise definitions in the Gun Control Act have led to confusion and ‘interpretive’ rulemaking at the agency level, which leads to regulatory overreach—and even more confusion. The PARTS Act provides a foundational solution to clarify the GCA’s definition of ‘silencer.’ This is critical timing, given the tremendous increase in lawful silencer ownership, as more people realize the benefits silencers provide in preventing hearing damage, reducing recoil, and improving shot accuracy,” said Silencer Shop General Counsel Chris Boeck.

 “We applaud Senator Sheehy for standing up for the rights of millions of law-abiding gun owners. There is serious momentum building behind the movement to make firearm suppressors easily accessible for everyone. No one should have to have a law degree to understand the technical serialization requirements for a simple hearing protection device. Senator Sheehy has done gun owners a great service by introducing this bill,” said President and Executive Director of the American Suppressor Association Knox Williams.

“It’s long past time for Congress to pass commonsense legislation that would provide clarity and consistency for the millions of law-abiding Americans who own firearm suppressors, or silencers, and the industry that manufactures these legal hearing protection accessories. Senator Sheehy’s Protecting Americans’ Right to Silence (PARTS) Act does just that by redefining ‘silencer’ to match the term’s generally accepted meaning of a complete firearm accessory. The current definition of ‘silencer’ includes unfinished parts or replacement components. The current definition has not only led to confusion within the industry but also inconsistent and conflicting regulatory interpretations by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) officials. Senator Sheehy’s legislation would create needed certainty, protect product innovation and design, and backstop against an overreaching ATF bureaucracy unnecessarily punishing the industry and consumers,” said NSSF Senior Vice President for Government & Public Affairs Lawrence G. Keane.

Background
The bill would redefine ‘silencer’ to focus on complete devices and a single principal component — similar to a firearm’s frame or receiver — rather than broad terms like “combination of parts” or “any part intended only for use” in a silencer. The bill also streamlines the purchase of consumable silencer parts, such as wipes, without requiring additional ATF paperwork.

The current definition of “firearm silencer” under the Gun Control Act could be interpreted to classify each individual component of a silencer as a silencer itself, leading to potential overreach through unconstitutional rulemaking.

The bill is supported by Silencer Shop, American Suppressor Association, National Rifle Association, National Shooting Sports Foundation, Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, and Firearm Regulatory Accountability Coalition. 

Read more on the bill HERE. Read the full bill text HERE.