During the 2016 presidential election, President Donal Trump emphasized his support for the Second Amendment. I do not recall that he ever mentioned gun mufflers, silencers, or the Hearing Protection Act.
But the penumbra of his attention to the Second Amendment is having implications beyond his direct gaze. The President Elect is setting the tone, and people are falling in line.
The Hearing Protection Act, or HPA, was filed by Matt Salmon of Arizona. Matt has been a stand up guy for he Second Amendment. Matt is retiring this year, but the HPA will go forward in 2017. The bill reforms the current archaic restrictions and regulations on gun mufflers or silencers. Those restrictions are from the 1930s and never made any sense.
The rest of the world does not share America's self imposed prohibition on gun mufflers. In the rest of the world, silencers are regarded as a useful accessory, something that the neighbors appreciate because it reduces noise pollution.
In Europe, silencers are far less regulated than they are in the United States. In New Zealand, a 12 year old can walk into a hardware store, pay $20, and walk out with a perfectly serviceable commercial silencer.
Before the election of Donald Trump, the HPA did not appear in the top ten of the most viewed bills before Congress.
After the election, in the week ending November 13th, the Hearing Protection Act was the second most viewed bill in Congress.
In the week ending November 20th, it was again the second most viewed bill in Congress.
In the week ending November 27th, it was the most viewed bill in Congress.
In the week ending December 4th, it dropped to the third most viewed bill in Congress.
Congress critters pay attention to these sort of things. Here is the link to the site that tracks the most viewed bills, if you want to see how the HPA is doing in the weeks ahead.
The HPA is common sense reform legislation that is long overdue.
©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
I'll be experimenting as soon as I get my new lathe combo unit. to see of I can make a marketable piece. all of my accessories from the old lathe will fit the new one.
ReplyDeleteI think the supreme court has ruled its self into a corner. the stage is now set to over turn many gun law infringements if not all of them. clearly the second amendment is a constitutional rights issue placing it squarely in the jurisdiction of the federal court. It ruled recently that if it is not specifically written in the constitution it can not exist to be enforced. it has ruled that keep and bear is an individual right. there are a history of rulings that tie everything together all we need now is that fifth judge to rule on the correctness of the tenth amendment in the separation of powers. States rights verses federal rights. Most of these issues have been settled before it just has to be brought to mind what those earlier rulings have said. federal law trumps state all in all aspects. the constitution clearly limits the adding to or removal of words to the constitution without a ratified amendment. clearly acts are not amendments. laws are not amendments so laws and acts that add words like permit or license or many of the other words used to create laws that are by definition infringements are void. Open or concealed are words not in the second amendment. what is a weapon has never been defined in the constitution and would required an amendment to do so. the 26 words of the second amendment are all the words they can work with. No more are physically written. if it is not written it can not be enforced. carry laws are being struck down all over the country the fourth amendment guarantees an individual a right to be secure in their person and their papers and other belongings. If you want to keep a gun in your brief case along side a bag of rocks and a sling shot it is no bodies business. A knife in you pocket is not a concealed weapon it is a stored tool. it becomes a weapon when you have to use it as such. there re any number of circumstances where a tool becomes a weapon or ANY OTHER INANIMANENT OPBJECT MAY BE COME A WEAPON. A rock, crow bar, tire iron, carpenters hammer, ice pick what ever and we do not license or have to permit those, even a six pack of beer bottles could be used. women like to throw flower vases and have plenty of access to carving knives and frying pans.
ReplyDeleteMy mother always bought a new bride a cast iron skillet. she believed you could always feed a man well with a frying pan and and tune him up if he needed it. My dad always complimented everything she cooked. he told me the early years took a lot of skill. My mom taught me a lot about loosing your temper, never do it, just take appropriate action when you have been wronged. Never boil like a tea kettle explode like black powder.