Democrat Rep Proposes Australia-Style ‘Buyback’ For Your Suppressor

Democratic New Jersey Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman re-introduced legislation on June 8 that would impose an Australia-style “buyback” for suppressors.

The legislation would prohibit civilian ownership of suppressors, while authorizing the attorney general to “buy back” the suppressors currently privately owned in accordance with the National Firearms Act (NFA). Watson Coleman announced the re-introduction of the measure in a June 8 release.

“Silencers are not tools of self-defense, they are tools of murder,” Watson Coleman claimed. “They have no legal application which is why law enforcement officials around the country have been calling for their elimination. The HEAR Act will save lives and is part of the common sense approach to firearms legislation that polls show has widespread support among voters on both sides of the aisle.”

“Rep. Watson Coleman’s proposed legislation is a non-starter. It is a stark example of favoring a political antigun agenda over true firearm safety,” National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) spokesman Mark Oliva told the 🏢Daily Caller News Foundation. “Suppressors are hearing safety devices. They are unlike what is portrayed in movies. They do not silence firearms but reduce the noise signature to one that will not cause instant and permanent hearing damage.”

The reconciliation bill signed into law by President Donald Trump in July 2025 contained provisions that reduced the taxes on suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns and guns described as “any other weapon” to $0 after the Senate parliamentarian