WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and Tim Sheehy (R-MT) introduced the Protecting Americans’ Right to Silence (PARTS) Act to cut government red tape and ensure gun owners and businesses are not unfairly targeted by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). The bill modernizes outdated federal regulations on firearm suppressors, providing much-needed clarity to manufacturers, retailers, and law-abiding gun owners.
Cassidy and Sheehy were joined by U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-MT), Mike Lee (R-UT), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Ted Budd (R-NC), Jim Justice (R-WV), and John Cornyn (R-TX) in introducing the bill.
The ATF’s vague and outdated definition of “silencer” under the Gun Control Act could allow unelected bureaucrats to classify individual silencer components as regulated silencers, leading to unnecessary restrictions on gun owners and manufacturers. In 2023, the ATF issued guidance suggesting that even simple, unassembled parts could be considered regulated silencers—an overreach that threatens Second Amendment rights and stifles industry innovation.
The PARTS Act brings clarity to federal firearm regulations by:
- Updating the definition of ‘silencer’ to focus on complete devices and a single principal component—similar to a firearm’s frame or receiver—rather than broad, vague terms like “combination of parts” or “any part intended only for use” in a silencer.
- Ensuring gun owners can purchase replacement parts like wipes without burdensome ATF paperwork.
- Preventing ATF from using subjective interpretation to unfairly target gun owners and businesses.
Background
Currently, outdated federal definitions could allow the ATF to classify individual silencer components as silencers themselves, leading to unnecessary regulatory burdens on manufacturers, retailers, and law-abiding gun owners. The PARTS Act would clarify that a silencer refers to a complete device or a single principal component, rather than an assortment of parts that could be used in its construction.
Additionally, the bill would streamline the purchase of consumable silencer parts, such as wipes, without requiring additional ATF paperwork, ensuring gun owners can properly maintain their lawfully owned suppressors.
The PARTS Act is supported by the Silencer Shop, American Suppressor Association, National Rifle Association, National Shooting Sports Foundation, Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, and Firearm Regulatory Accountability Coalition.
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