S. 1943 116th Congress Senate

HEAR Act

Official title: A bill to regulate firearm silencers and firearm mufflers.

Introduced: June 24, 2019 See on congress.gov

Crime and Law Enforcement Criminal procedure and sentencingFirearms and explosivesLaw enforcement administration and fundingTrade restrictions

Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps

Introduced

In committee

Reported out

Passed House

Passed Senate

To President

Became law

Jun 24, 2019

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Jun 24, 2019

Introduced in Senate

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Latest action June 24, 2019

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Help Empower Americans to Respond Act of 2019 or the HEAR Act

This bill establishes a new criminal offense for the import, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession of a firearm silencer or firearm muffler.

The bill does not prohibit certain conduct with respect to a firearm silencer or firearm muffler, including the following:

importation, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession related to certain law enforcement efforts, or authorized tests or experiments; and
importation, sale, transfer, or possession related to securing nuclear materials.

In addition, the bill requires the Department of Justice to establish and implement a buy-back program to purchase firearm silencers and firearm mufflers. States and local governments may use Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program funds to compensate individuals who surrender firearm silencers and firearm mufflers under this buy-back program.

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