“Hollywood is rarely seen as the attributor of truth, except when it involves firearms,” said Williams. “No one is going to see a paleontologist citing Jurassic Park, so it borders on comical when people lean on fictional sources as the basis for their argument about firearms and suppressors.”
Logic Isn’t Always Enough
Even those who don’t take movies and video games at face value still often need convincing of the merits of suppressors. This is true, even as the ASA has also noted that while the NFA has existed since 1934, nearly 1.5 million suppressors—more than 80 percent—have been registered in just the past decade. It shows that there is interest in the devices, which can help make shooting safer for all involved.
Yet, there are certainly politicians who may not want to make it easier or more enjoyable to shoot. It would run contrary to their efforts to institute sweeping gun control. Those are the ones where it can be very difficult to find any common ground on the issue.
“There are some zealots that will never be willing to go to the table because it is guns,” Williams admitted.
Yet, he added that at the state level, the lobby efforts have seen some notable success.
“We’ve made some real progress with several democratic governors, Williams continued.
That notably included former Governor Steve Bullock of Montana, who had vetoed a measure that called for legalizing full game suppressor hunting in 2013. The American Suppressor Association engaged his office and sought to educate him on the facts and merits of suppressor hunting. Two years later, Montana joined Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Ohio in recently introducing pro-suppressor hunting reform.
The former governor said in a statement. “The use of suppressors for hunting, when hunters cannot wear ear protection because they need to be aware of their surroundings, can help protect against hearing loss. This is especially true for our younger hunters, even those who are not actually hunting but are accompanying their parent in the field. I understand the concerns regarding the risks of increased poaching and do not take this lightly, but other states have not found this to be the case.”
ASA Looking Forward
Suppressor education and deregulation are not an extension of the nation’s deep divide on party lines, because the safe and legal use of suppressors to protect against hearing loss is not a partisan issue.
“It shouldn’t be a democrat or republican issue,” suggested Williams. “ASA will do everything it can to make this a non-partisan issue.”
In addition to convincing lawmakers of the merits of firearm suppressors, the ASA has made progress with the National Hearing Conservation Association, which is compromised of audiologists who are focused on hearing loss prevention. In November 2019, the ASA received a letter from the NHCA, which outlined their support for the use of a firearm suppressor as a tool to mitigate hearing damage.
For those critics who still believe that suppressors would only enable criminals, Williams said he is happy to take them to the gun range.
“You need to hear what a suppressor does. Otherwise, it is ignorance that turns into willful ignorance,” he explained. “From there we invite lawmakers and experts to make an informed decision. Without that, it is impossible for them to make a truly educated decision on the matter.”
