HEAR Act of 2026

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9208 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9208

          To regulate firearm silencers and firearm mufflers.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 8, 2026

Mrs. Watson Coleman (for herself, Ms. Norton, Mr. Espaillat, Mr. Case,
 Mrs. Hayes, Mr. Ivey, and Mr. Casten) introduced the following bill;
          which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

          To regulate firearm silencers and firearm mufflers.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Help Empower Americans to Respond
Act of 2026'' or the ``HEAR Act of 2026''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    Section 921(a) of title 18, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (3), by striking ``(C) any firearm muffler
        or firearm silencer; or (D)'' and inserting ``or (C)''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(39) The term `qualified law enforcement officer' has the meaning
given the term in section 926B.''.

SEC. 3. RESTRICTIONS ON FIREARM SILENCERS AND FIREARM MUFFLERS.

    (a) In General.--Section 922 of title 18, United States Code, is
amended by inserting after subsection (u) the following:
    ``(v)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), it shall be unlawful
for a person to import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess, in or
affecting interstate or foreign commerce, a firearm silencer or firearm
muffler.
    ``(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to--
            ``(A) the importation for, manufacture for, sale to,
        transfer to, or possession by the United States or a department
        or agency of the United States or a State or a department,
        agency, or political subdivision of a State, or a sale or
        transfer to or possession by a qualified law enforcement
        officer employed by the United States or a department or agency
        of the United States or a State or a department, agency, or
        political subdivision of a State for purposes of law
        enforcement (whether on or off-duty), or a sale or transfer to
        or possession by a campus law enforcement officer for purposes
        of law enforcement (whether on or off-duty);
            ``(B) the importation for, or sale or transfer to a
        licensee under title I of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42
        U.S.C. 2011 et seq.) for purposes of establishing and
        maintaining an on-site physical protection system and security
        organization required by Federal law, or possession by an
        employee or contractor of such licensee on-site for such
        purposes or off-site for purposes of licensee-authorized
        training or transportation of nuclear materials; or
            ``(C) the importation for, manufacture for, sale to,
        transfer to, or possession by a licensed manufacturer or
        licensed importer for the purposes of testing or
        experimentation authorized by the Attorney General.
    ``(3) For purposes of paragraph (2)(A), the term `campus law
enforcement officer' means an individual who is--
            ``(A) employed by a private institution of higher education
        that is eligible for funding under title IV of the Higher
        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.);
            ``(B) responsible for the prevention or investigation of
        crime involving injury to persons or property, including
        apprehension or detention of persons for such crimes;
            ``(C) authorized by Federal, State, or local law to carry a
        firearm, execute search warrants, and make arrests; and
            ``(D) recognized, commissioned, or certified by a
        government entity as a law enforcement officer.''.
    (b) Seizure and Forfeiture of Firearm Silencers and Firearm
Mufflers.--Section 924(d) of title 18, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``or (k)'' and inserting
        ``(k), or (v)''; and
            (2) in paragraph (3)(E), by inserting ``922(v),'' after
        ``922(n),''.

SEC. 4. PENALTIES.

    Section 924(a)(1)(B) of title 18, United States Code, is amended by
striking ``or (q)'' and inserting ``(q), or (v)''.

SEC. 5. USE OF BYRNE GRANTS FOR BUY-BACK PROGRAMS FOR FIREARM SILENCERS
              AND FIREARM MUFFLERS.

    (a) In General.--Section 501(a)(1) of title I of the Omnibus Crime
Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10152(a)(1)) is amended
by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(L) Compensation for surrendered firearm
                silencers and firearm mufflers, as those terms are
                defined in section 921 of title 18, United States Code,
                under the buy-back program for firearm silencers and
                firearm mufflers required under section 5(b) of the
                Help Empower Americans to Respond Act of 2026.''.
    (b) Requirement.--During the 90-day period described in section 6,
the Attorney General shall establish and implement a buy-back program,
to be carried out across the United States, to purchase firearm
silencers and firearm mufflers (as defined in section 921(a) of title
18, United States Code) from individuals seeking to comply with the
requirements of this Act and the amendments made by this Act.

SEC. 6. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    The amendments made by sections 2, 3, and 4 shall take effect on
the date that is 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act.

SEC. 7. SEVERABILITY.

    If any provision of this Act, an amendment made by this Act, or the
application of such provision or amendment to any person or
circumstance is held to be unconstitutional, the remainder of this Act,
the amendments made by this Act, and the application of such provision
or amendment to any person or circumstance shall not be affected
thereby.
                                 <all>