House GOP set to approve bill that could make mass shootings deadlier

House GOP set to approve bill that could make mass shootings deadlier
After the hearing was delayed because of another shooting, the House will vote to deregulate gun silencers.
KIRA LERNER OCT 2, 2017, 10:08 AM

As details emerge about the carnage at a Las Vegas country music concert, the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, the House is set to move forward with a vote on a gun lobby-backed bill that would deregulate the sale of gun silencers, which make it harder to detect the origin of gunshots.

In the early chaos of these attacks, it’s often difficult for law enforcement and the general public to discern the original of gunshots and whether there could be more than one gunman. The use of silencers would make that even more difficult.

The GOP-sponsored bill, the Sportsmen Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act (SHARE Act), would remove gun silencers from the list of items regulated by the 1934 National Firearms Act. Under current law, silencers , which reduce the noise emitted from firearms, are regulated as strictly as machine guns and short-barreled rifles.

The National Rifle Association’s top legislative priority this year has been to roll back the regulations on what they call noise suppressors. The gun lobby claims the restrictions are costly and unnecessary since silencers are rarely used to commit crimes.

https://thinkprogress.org/gun-silencer-vote-a6d777b63eb0/