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View Full Version : Hearing Protection Act-- Response Recieved



alamo5000
9 February 2016, 10:55
First it is worth noting that our Congressman is in deep trouble in his district and that, among other things are very much occupying his time. He has served in the House for a very long time. Currently he is the sitting Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee which is one of the most powerful committees in all of Washington DC. There is a very real possibility that he will lose his seat, probably in the primaries. If he does win it won't be without serious opposition. A lot of people are very much displeased with him for a whole number of reasons. Eric Cantor was the Majority Leader of the House Republicans and lost his seat--which was national headline news. When the election happens we are all expecting nothing less to happen here.

That said I called his office way back when and they are just now getting back to me on this. I called specifically about the Hearing Protection Act and here is the response I received from the Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, which is one of the two that are reviewing the legislation.

It seems to me that this is a rather tepid response written by a low level staff member, but none the less it is official communication on the issue. He seems rather non committal if you ask me, but like I said, he's running ads all over the place right now trying to save his ass.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1633/24921031875_6a8fd45317_b.jpg

PS...I censored my name and address out of the letter. [:D]

Farva
9 February 2016, 11:07
Although you did get a response, I agree it seems like a very "cookie cutter" type response but a response nonetheless.

alamo5000
9 February 2016, 12:00
Although you did get a response, I agree it seems like a very "cookie cutter" type response but a response nonetheless.

I was at an event where he attended not too long ago and I was going to approach him and ask him face to face what is going on, but when they introduced him from the podium it would be generous to call the response 'lukewarm'. About 5% of the room gave him a polite 'golf clap' for about 5 seconds. When the announcer saw that he quickly 'moved the program forward'...I wasn't the only one that noticed that either.

Of course predicting elections is impossible but word on the street is that he's in trouble. And naturally if your entire lifelong career is on the line the Hearing Protection Act gets pushed to the back.

For sure though he did not write that letter. A staffer did... and that staffer had to go ask around to find out anything. It's pretty evident that they are not familiar with how the NFA works and more importantly that silencers are not deadly death dealing weapons. My impression is the latter is where the work needs to be done. These guys get elected saying they support the 2nd Amendment but most of them are not shooters for sport or hobby. They are desk jockeys who might have shot a gun 5 or 6 years ago once. Even though they have an (R) by their name many of the times this is true.

Then throw on top of that this legislation goes right in the face of Obama's public statements that 'silencers are some of the most dangerous weapons' that he publicly stated at that stupid town hall meeting thing he had...so now his people are in on the game and it becomes a partisan issue rather than one based on facts.

Long story short we need to follow suit of the UFC...before they were banned almost everywhere but they as a organization and as a group made a deliberate effort to make people's perceptions change to think of them more as a legitimate martial arts sport. Same thing needs to happen with the whole NFA and silencers thing but right now that's not happening. The NFA community gets it but outside of that people still think of NFA stuff as things purchased only by the most extreme of gun nuts. Even among gun owners I have seen varied responses to people that don't get it.

Farva
9 February 2016, 12:08
There's going to be a following of people that will never "get it". We could have a red dawn scenario and they still wouldn't understand the need for 2A (of course suppressors would take a back seat to such a situation but you get my point.) unfortunately those people are the ones that sit behind the desks that make the decisions.

On somewhat of a side note, I hate what the political system has become. Not only for the obvious reasons but also the fact that there are such things as career politicians. I don't believe it was ever made to be such a way. A body of the people for the people. In my humble opinion once you get into a "career politician" your no longer one of the people, you become someone who is out to better yourself and protect your interest, not that of your constituents. As you mentioned above, he's out to save HIS career, instead of doing what he should have in the first place and that's listening to the people who elected him.

Sorry for the rant. [BD]

alamo5000
9 February 2016, 12:10
There's going to be a following of people that will never "get it". We could have a red dawn scenario and they still wouldn't understand the need for 2A (of course suppressors would take a back seat to such a situation but you get my point.) unfortunately those people are the ones that sit behind the desks that make the decisions.

On somewhat of a side note, I hate what the political system has become. Not only for the obvious reasons but also the fact that there are such things as career politicians. I don't believe it was ever made to be such a way. A body of the people for the people. In my humble opinion once you get into a "career politician" your no longer one of the people, you become someone who is out to better yourself and protect your interest, not that of your constituents. As you mentioned above, he's out to save HIS career, instead of doing what he should have in the first place and that's listening to the people who elected him.

Sorry for the rant. [BD]

Don't say sorry to me. You summed up MY rant better than I could have! LOL!

alamo5000
9 February 2016, 12:24
There's going to be a following of people that will never "get it". We could have a red dawn scenario and they still wouldn't understand the need for 2A (of course suppressors would take a back seat to such a situation but you get my point.) unfortunately those people are the ones that sit behind the desks that make the decisions.

I think we need to go on a charm offense and get the NRA and others on the offense about this stuff. Hunting shows on TV, articles in magazines, and any other number of things that reaches out to gun owners as a whole would all help. Around here where I am it's all a bunch of good old boys and hunters and whatnot but when I mention 'silencer' I can see their eyebrows raise.

There is a lot of work to be had among our own ranks if you ask me. No one I have talked to is fundamentally against silencers... they are just unaware of what they really are and what they really do. Then tack onto that the ideas that get drilled into their heads through movies or whatever... Most of the people I have seen think my silencer is pretty awesome but I do notice that I have to explain it to some people. Some people, even good old boy hunters still think silencers are illegal (maybe that's why I get the funny looks sometimes).

Sometimes people who are in the NFA thing are honestly sometimes unknowingly talking past many potential allies and maybe even a few customers. Basically to protect what we like we need popularity on our side. We were over here freaking out about 41F but a lot of gun owners are like 'that doesn't apply to me'...it does they just don't realize it yet.

Farva
9 February 2016, 12:44
Agreed. The uneducated masses will be the downfall of our cause. My guess is people not only thing suppressors are illegal but also associate them with assassins and spies they see in movies and on TV.

the good ole boy types should be the first to want a suppressor. All that hunting and no ringing ears! No need for the foamy ear plugs, if they even use them. Also a smaller chance to scare off other potential critters you might be hunting.

It's hard to educate people with the correct information now days though. All to often they just feed right out of the hands of whoever is on the magical picture box (TV) and believe it's as truth and absolute law. Case in point, after the San Bernardino shooting Fox News of all places had someone get on national tv and spout off about how the bullet button (one of the most commie invented things ever) allows you to turn your semi auto firearm into a fully automatic assault super Killy death dealing, puppy stomping murder machine. In Kaliforniastan of all places.

Now despite your political leanings or which news channel you prefer, although I don't trust any of them really, I have always viewed Fox News as having its shit together more so than some of the other channels depending on the subject or topic at hand. I was thoroughly disappointed when I heard and saw this broadcast on their channel because the uneducated are now learning from this guy who he himself has no clue what he is talking about.

alamo5000
9 February 2016, 13:13
Yup!

I think the good old boys aren't opposed to it by nature but 95% of the time I have seen it, it was one of those things where 'my granpappy said it, my daddy said it, and I am saying it' kind of things...1934 until now is a long time.

But if we get Field and Stream and all these other magazines to include suppression in their magazines... if we get manufacturers to advertise there (but that costs money)... I am not talking about having the annual issue about NFA items but rather include them in the pictures and just have it all written in the fabric of what is going on and pretty soon a lot more people will catch on. The editorial content of some of those magazines can help us tremendously.

You walk into a doctor's office and guess what... there is an issue of Field and Stream right there.

We need to take silencers away from the perception of assassins and ninjas and weave it into the fabric of hunting and gun rights. Cross that line from 'military and tactical' with their 30 round mags and body armor and start showing a lot more images of the deer hunter in camo in a blind with a Recce 7 on the end of his bolt gun.

I mean seriously. Look at what we have around here and what guys like Stickman have done and what kind of following they have built up over time. I am talking about steering things in a slightly different direction. We have the talent and people to do it...

What I am saying is a lot of people see pictures of someone wearing body armor toting an SBR with a silencer on it and they think Blackwater contractor... which yeah there is a niche there that is very popular... but I think a lot MORE people would identify more with an image of a deer hunter and his son walking through a field wearing camo with silencers on their rifles... see the difference??

I think we definitely need to try and break out from the one sided military/law enforcement portrayal and start broadening things out some and it will benefit everyone a whole lot more.

voodoo_man
9 February 2016, 13:20
My response:

"This should be, like, part of the constitution and stuff."

alamo5000
9 February 2016, 13:22
My response:

"This should be, like, part of the constitution and stuff."

Yes it should be. But it's been treated like it isn't since 1934.

Them's the facts sir.

But even at that we need to change people's perceptions of us.*

*To a point... by that I mean the average run of the mill non gun person...

alamo5000
9 February 2016, 13:27
I think most people are not turned off by hunters. Yes there is 'outrage' sometimes... but by and large people are not challenging that...but if they see body armor, silencers, and SBRs their ideas and opinions can sometimes be different. Constitution or not they will think, cop, military, or ninja.

But I am thinking if we challenge that perception we will win them over and win a lot more in the end.

Farva
9 February 2016, 20:01
I saw this on FB and it kinda ties into what I was saying earlier
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160210/e795b09ac028a23e9041a1f8989e6592.jpg

DeviantLogic
9 February 2016, 20:44
One thing we can do is educate fellow shooters, particularly those new to shooting, about the benefits of suppressors. I have partial hearing loss and explain that I try to always shoot with a suppressor to protect my hearing, and the hearing of others around me. I then explain that is helps with recoil and can improve accuracy in some situations. Questions normally pursue about how one obtains a silencer...having a copy of your paperwork helps with explaining things. In my opinion, being a responsible person promoting the use of suppressors for practical purposes goes further than anything else.

alamo5000
9 February 2016, 21:24
One thing we can do is educate fellow shooters, particularly those new to shooting, about the benefits of suppressors. I have partial hearing loss and explain that I try to always shoot with a suppressor to protect my hearing, and the hearing of others around me. I then explain that is helps with recoil and can improve accuracy in some situations. Questions normally pursue about how one obtains a silencer...having a copy of your paperwork helps with explaining things. In my opinion, being a responsible person promoting the use of suppressors for practical purposes goes further than anything else.

^^^ What he said. Be an ambassador.

I might remind all of ya'll that I didn't own a suppressor until less than a year ago. I have always seen them and wanted them but never bought one until I got here to WEVO and got the facts. There are a whole lot of people out there that are just like me... who are curious, like it, and would want it... but who don't know.

I for sure have been doing everything I can to pay it forward.

voodoo_man
10 February 2016, 05:23
I saw this on FB and it kinda ties into what I was saying earlier
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160210/e795b09ac028a23e9041a1f8989e6592.jpg

Too bad he won't be elected...

Joelski
10 February 2016, 06:06
He has great ideas, but he's so far opposite of Trump, it makes me wonder if he's either timid or a time bomb.

Farva
10 February 2016, 07:32
Too bad he won't be elected...

I agree.

voodoo_man
10 February 2016, 07:45
I agree.

I should clarify my statement...

I do not support anyone who wants "equality" in the form of socialism. I lived under socialism and so called "equality" for the part of my life and my family did for the entirety of the Soviet style of "socialism."

This country is founded on very specific principles, liberty, complete freedom and capitalism are all concepts that have worked well here and should be left to the subjugation of a socialist like Sanders.

We would all be much better off if people like him (and to the same degree Hilary) be disregarded from public consideration as their rhetoric only serves themselves and not the people. There is no equality and that concept should never be considered. Life, itself, it is not equal so why should we want politics and our very way of life to be equal to everyone else? The entire concept negates the very foundation of which the US was founded up on.

Sanders, like Hilary, have very few original ideas and of those ideas even fewer of them are crafted through actual desire to "make America great again" in fact I believe they want the exact opposite of that, which is national equality, which is more of what we've seen for the last eight years and its more of the same old non-sense that will lead this country into financial ruin.

Farva
10 February 2016, 07:47
I should clarify my statement...

I do not support anyone who wants "equality" in the form of socialism. I lived under socialism and so called "equality" for the part of my life and my family did for the entirety of the Soviet style of "socialism."

This country is founded on very specific principles, liberty, complete freedom and capitalism are all concepts that have worked well here and should be left to the subjugation of a socialist like Sanders.

We would all be much better off if people like him (and to the same degree Hilary) be disregarded from public consideration as their rhetoric only serves themselves and not the people. There is no equality and that concept should never be considered. Life, itself, it is not equal so why should we want politics and our very way of life to be equal to everyone else? The entire concept negates the very foundation of which the US was founded up on.

Sanders, like Hilary, have very few original ideas and of those ideas even fewer of them are crafted through actual desire to "make America great again" in fact I believe they want the exact opposite of that, which is national equality, which is more of what we've seen for the last eight years and its more of the same old non-sense that will lead this country into financial ruin.

I also agree. Couldn't have said it better myself. Expect the living in the Soviet Style socialism part, I don't have first hand expo wrench of that.

Txfilmmaker
10 February 2016, 09:14
Agreed. I like reading comments from people who think logically and with a sensible world view. There is still hope. :)


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Slippers
10 February 2016, 09:18
Voodoo_man for president!

voodoo_man
10 February 2016, 11:41
Voodoo_man for president!

Unfortunately...can't be.

Just to add - history will always repeat itself, we have to strive to correct such actions.

When Sanders began his bid I had a chance to sit down with my grandmother, who survived WWII in Eastern EU, having half her family killed by the Nazi's and then living through the beginning and end of post WWII Soviet style "socialism" she told me very quickly that he gives the same type of bullshit speeches she remembered as a young girl/woman.

Freedom, unfortunately, is not free and requires everyone to do as much as they can, sometimes more.

Josh S.
15 March 2016, 13:51
I had lunch with my sister earlier and she asked me what I was doing for my 21st birthday, expecting a typical alcohol related answer. I replied with, "Buying a handgun and silencer, maybe an SBR, and then I'll probably have a few drinks to celebrate my purchases." I could sense she felt some animosity towards silencers when I said the word, so I asked if she had an issue with them. She said that she didn't think they should be legal, and thought they would only encourage people to kill others AND give them the ability to do it silently. My natural response was, "There's nothing silent about them", and asked if she had ever heard one in person or if she was basing her opinion off of movies and TV shows; of course it was the latter. I tried to get the point across as best I could but I feel words can only go so far with this topic. I'm hoping to take her out to the ranch within the next few weeks and let her shoot several different silenced rifles and handguns and HOPEFULLY change her point of view.

It really put things into perspective for me, as to how many people out there honestly think silencers actually silence gunshots, based off what they have seen in movies. If my sister, someone who has been exposed to hunting and firearms her entire life, has this unfortunate outlook, just imagine how many other people share her opinion.

alamo5000
15 March 2016, 13:55
My Congressman eeked out a primary victory and now he's been running around trying to reconnect with the voters. In any case he's still the chairman of the ways and means committee so anything that happens will have to go through him.

Txfilmmaker
15 March 2016, 14:11
My Congressman eeked out a primary victory and now he's been running around trying to reconnect with the voters. In any case he's still the chairman of the ways and means committee so anything that happens will have to go through him.

We are just south of your district. Ted Poe is our congressman. I would love to see suppressors and SBRs become unregulated.


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Joelski
15 March 2016, 14:20
This thing's still got legs??? What an accomplishment for sportsmed this would be, but I think the stormiest days are ahead.

alamo5000
15 March 2016, 14:33
This thing's still got legs??? What an accomplishment for sportsmed this would be, but I think the stormiest days are ahead.

It's got legs until we see who wins the election.

DeviantLogic
15 March 2016, 14:51
I had lunch with my sister earlier and she asked me what I was doing for my 21st birthday, expecting a typical alcohol related answer. I replied with, "Buying a handgun and silencer, maybe an SBR, and then I'll probably have a few drinks to celebrate my purchases." I could sense she felt some animosity towards silencers when I said the word, so I asked if she had an issue with them. She said that she didn't think they should be legal, and thought they would only encourage people to kill others AND give them the ability to do it silently. My natural response was, "There's nothing silent about them", and asked if she had ever heard one in person or if she was basing her opinion off of movies and TV shows; of course it was the latter. I tried to get the point across as best I could but I feel words can only go so far with this topic. I'm hoping to take her out to the ranch within the next few weeks and let her shoot several different silenced rifles and handguns and HOPEFULLY change her point of view.

It really put things into perspective for me, as to how many people out there honestly think silencers actually silence gunshots, based off what they have seen in movies. If my sister, someone who has been exposed to hunting and firearms her entire life, has this unfortunate outlook, just imagine how many other people share her opinion.

Sounds like you're on the right path to convincing her that silencers aren't the spawn of Satan. It's a shame Hollywood is so full of shit. Think of all the movies and TV shows where people are shooting unsuppressed then carry on a conversation at whisper level. Guess it wouldn't be as entertaining if at the end of shootouts everyone was deaf.

BoilerUp
9 November 2016, 20:42
Ok, so with a few things now settled, how much longer until we can get cans and SBRs off the NFA list?

alamo5000
9 November 2016, 21:04
Ok, so with a few things now settled, how much longer until we can get cans and SBRs off the NFA list?

We got a 2 year window of Republican control. They have nowhere to hide. Anything they fail at is front and center.

They have bigger fish to fry I will admit but this could get tacked on to a bigger bill in the course of other action. Who knows. I will contact my congressman again about it.

alamo5000
9 November 2016, 21:05
I started a thread here:

http://www.weaponevolution.com/forum/showthread.php?9565-SilencerCo-Interview-Video-with-Donald-Trump-Jr&highlight=

Click it and just listen to the interview. It was awesome. It does give hope.

voodoo_man
10 November 2016, 04:54
https://apply.ptt.gov/yourstory/

Go there.

Make your voice heard.

DeviantLogic
10 November 2016, 09:00
Ok, so with a few things now settled, how much longer until we can get cans and SBRs off the NFA list?

There's been talk that the Hearing Protection Act will likely get passed in the first half of 2017. Not very hopeful SBR's will get much love.

Joelski
10 November 2016, 12:37
https://apply.ptt.gov/yourstory/

Go there.

Make your voice heard.

Done, and I recommend mentioning Donald Jr., so the message picks up an extra flag.

alamo5000
10 November 2016, 16:05
https://apply.ptt.gov/yourstory/

Go there.

Make your voice heard.

Done.

alamo5000
10 November 2016, 16:06
There's been talk that the Hearing Protection Act will likely get passed in the first half of 2017. Not very hopeful SBR's will get much love.

Something is better than nothing but let's hope people who are informed will make their voices heard.

Txfilmmaker
10 November 2016, 21:25
Let's write our reps and submit on this sight. Thanks for the link.


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