Virginia & New Mexico Introduce Legislation to Ban Suppressors!
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As state legislatures across the country convene for the 2023 session, ASA is already working to defend against statewide suppressor bans in two states - Virginia and New Mexico. If this feels like deja vu, that's because ASA already helped successfully defended against a ban in Virginia in 2019-2020. We stand ready to defend your right to own and use suppressors again in 2023!
In New Mexico, Sen. William P. Soules (D-37), has introduced SB 171, which would outright ban the "manufacture, sale, barter, trade, gift, transfer or acquisition of... mufflers, silencers or devices for deadening or muffling the sound of discharged firearms." ASA will be in Santa Fe on Monday, February 6th, to testify in opposition to this bill in the Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee.
In Virginia, Del. Dan Helmer (D-40), introduced HB 2240, "prohibiting the sale, transport, etc., of assault firearms, large-capacity firearm magazines, and silencers." ASA testified in opposition to the bill on Thursday, January 26th, and the House Public Safety Sub-Committee voted 6-4 to "pass by" or table the bill indefinitely.
Make no mistake, ASA will remain steadfast in combating any attempt to ban, confiscate, or further regulate suppressors at the state and federal levels.
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Watch ASA's 2022 Policy Update Video
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Filmed on January 31st, this installment of our monthly policy updates focuses on attempts to ban suppressors in New Mexico and Virginia, as well as the impact that the ATF stabilizing brace ruling will have on the suppressor industry.
This is one policy update you won't want to miss! Click below to watch the ASA January Suppressor Policy Update!
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YouTube Backpedals On Suppressor Videos - Says Removal Was A "Mistake"
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Earlier today, Stephen Gutowski of The Reload broke the story that YouTube is changing course on the removal of suppressor-related videos and channels. Among those impacted was ASA sponsor SilencerCo, who had their channel, with over 110,000 followers, completely deleted several weeks ago.
The National Rifle Association and Stephen Gutowski were able to open direct lines of communication with YouTube, which has begun removing strikes and restoring pages they deleted as a result of the misinterpretation of their own policies and guidelines. The ASA worked directly with both NRA and Gutowski to help ensure that every page that was impacted is made whole.
From The Reload:
"Social media giant YouTube has reversed course on deleting videos and channels featuring videos where a silencer is attached to a gun.
"The video hosting site said recent moderation efforts aimed at videos where sound suppressors are affixed to guns were a mistake. The takedowns and channel strikes had appeared to affect videos, whether attaching the suppressor was part of a guide or just incidental. The company said it is now in the process of restoring videos and channels that were wrongly flagged.
"'Upon review, we determined the videos in question are not violative of our Community Guidelines and have reinstated them,' a YouTube spokesperson told The Reload. 'When it’s brought to our attention that content has been mistakenly removed, we review it and take appropriate action, including reinstating and removing associated strikes.'"
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ATF Publishes Final Rule On Pistol Braces
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On Tuesday, January 31st, ATF Final Rule 2021R-08F "Factoring Criteria for Firearms With Attached 'Stabilizing Braces'” was published in the federal register, thus making the rule effective and starting the clock for registering brace-equipped firearms within 120 days ending May 31, 2023.
This massive unconstitutional overreach by ATF is already being challenged by many organizations and ASA stands with law-abiding gun owners across the country in our opposition to this rule.
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How will suppressor transfers be affected?
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How a massive influx of eForm 1 registrations would affect transfer times for suppressors was of major concern to the entire suppressor industry. With estimates ranging from 1-4 million potential registrations (on the low end), transfer times could certainly rise. In conversations with ATF leadership at SHOT Show, they informed ASA that eForm 1 applications for brace-equipped firearms will be put into a separate workflow. Those applications will be processed with "other resources" instead of regular NFA examiners. We are also pleased to report that NFA Division will be hiring 17 new examiners for processing applications, moving the total number of examiners from 35 to 52.
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ASA State & Federal Bill Tracker
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Stay up to date on current state and federal legislation affecting suppressors by visiting our website. We will update the status of each bill as changes occur.
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