File #: Res 1676-2017    Version: * Name: Opposing the Hearing Protection Act of 2017 (H.R.367/S. 59)
Type: Resolution Status: Adopted
Committee: Committee on Public Safety
On agenda: 10/17/2017
Enactment date: Law number:
Title: Resolution opposing H.R.367/S. 59, known as "the Hearing Protection Act of 2017," eliminating the transfer tax on firearm silencers and treating any person who acquires a firearm silencer as meeting any registration or licensing requirements of the National Firearms Act with respect to such silencer.
Sponsors: Melissa Mark-Viverito, Vanessa L. Gibson, Ben Kallos, Andrew Cohen, Jumaane D. Williams
Council Member Sponsors: 5
Attachments: 1. H.R. 367, 2. S. 59, 3. Res. No. 1676, 4. October 17, 2017 - Stated Meeting Agenda with Links to Files, 5. Committee Report 10/16/17, 6. Hearing Testimony 10/16/17, 7. Hearing Transcript 10/16/17, 8. Committee Report 10/30/17, 9. Hearing Transcript 10/30/17, 10. October 31, 2017 - Stated Meeting Agenda with Links to Files, 11. Hearing Transcript - Stated Meeting 10-31-17, 12. Minutes of the Stated Meeting - October 31, 2017
Date Ver.Prime SponsorAction ByActionResultAction DetailsMeeting DetailsMultimedia
10/31/2017*Melissa Mark-Viverito City Council Approved, by CouncilPass Action details Meeting details Not available
10/30/2017*Melissa Mark-Viverito Committee on Public Safety Hearing Held by Committee  Action details Meeting details Not available
10/30/2017*Melissa Mark-Viverito Committee on Public Safety Approved by CommitteePass Action details Meeting details Not available
10/17/2017*Melissa Mark-Viverito City Council Referred to Comm by Council  Action details Meeting details Not available
10/17/2017*Melissa Mark-Viverito City Council Introduced by Council  Action details Meeting details Not available
10/16/2017*Melissa Mark-Viverito Committee on Public Safety Hearing on P-C Item by Comm  Action details Meeting details Not available
10/16/2017*Melissa Mark-Viverito Committee on Public Safety P-C Item Laid Over by Comm  Action details Meeting details Not available

Res. No. 1676

 

Resolution opposing H.R.367/S. 59, known as “the Hearing Protection Act of 2017,” eliminating the transfer tax on firearm silencers and treating any person who acquires a firearm silencer as meeting any registration or licensing requirements of the National Firearms Act with respect to such silencer.

 

By The Speaker (Council Member Mark-Viverito) and Council Members Gibson, Kallos, Cohen and Williams

 

                     Whereas, A firearm silencer is a device that attaches to the barrel of a firearm and reduces the amount of noise generated by firing; and

                     Whereas, In addition to reducing the volume of a gunshot, firearm silencers tend to alter the sound in a manner that makes the sound unidentifiable as a gunshot, thereby reducing or eliminating attention drawn to the shooter; and

                     Whereas, In an active shooter situation, firearm silencers make it harder for victims, bystanders and law enforcement to identify and react quickly to gunshots; and

                     Whereas, Law enforcement representatives have opposed the rollback of silencer safety laws because being able to hear and identify gunshots is an important safety feature and such laws are effective at keeping silencers out of the wrong hands; and

                     Whereas, One such law, the National Firearms Act (NFA), passed in 1934 in an effort to crack down on organized crime, requires buyers of silencers, machine guns, and other especially dangerous weapons to pass criminal background checks and comply with other common-sense safety provisions in order to buy these dangerous products; and                     

                     Whereas, H.R.367/S. 59 would remove silencers from the NFA, meaning felons, domestic abusers, and the dangerously mentally ill would be able to buy a firearm silencer with no background check; and

                     Whereas, New York is one of eight states that have explicitly banned any civilian from possessing a firearm silencer; and

                     Whereas, H.R.367/S. 59 would override state laws and block states from enforcing their own laws regarding silencers; and

                     Whereas, Though the bill is presented as “The Hearing Protection Act,” there is no evidence of a public health issue associated with hearing loss from gunfire; and

                     Whereas, There are more effective ways to protect the hearing of gun users, including readily available ear protection; now, therefore, be it

                     Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York opposes H.R. 367/S. 59, known as “the Hearing Protection Act of 2017,” eliminating the transfer tax on firearm silencers and treating any person who acquires a firearm silencer as meeting any registration or licensing requirements of the National Firearms Act with respect to such silencer.

 

 

 

 

BG

LS11058

6/15/17