119th (2025–2027)
H.R. 9208
The HEAR Act of 2026 would ban the manufacture, sale, transfer, and possession of firearm silencers and firearm mufflers for civilians, making violations a federal crime. The law includes narrow exceptions for law enforcement officers, federal agencies, state and local governments, nuclear facility security personnel authorized under federal law, and licensed manufacturers conducting Attorney General-approved testing. The ban would take effect 90 days after the bill becomes law, giving the public a three-month window to comply. During that 90-day period, the Attorney General must establish a nationwide buy-back program to compensate individuals who surrender silencers and mufflers, funded through existing federal crime control grants. Violators could face the same penalties as other federal firearm crimes, and seized silencers and mufflers would be subject to forfeiture.