Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ) used a House Oversight Committee roundtable Wednesday to press the case for loosening federal restrictions on gun suppressors, arguing lawmakers should be “clearing the way” for law-abiding Americans to access the devices.
Crane questioned a panel that included Knox Williams of the American Suppressor Association, retired Deputy Assistant ATF Director Peter Forcelli, and Lawrence Keane of the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
Crane argued that some elected officials resist rolling back suppressor rules because they are “pretty ignorant about what they actually do,” suggesting their impressions come from movies rather than fact. Williams agreed, and Crane added that he owns several suppressors himself and that Hollywood depictions of them as “whisper quiet” are inaccurate.
The discussion then turned to whether expanded suppressor access would drive up crime. Crane asked Forcelli how often suppressors came up during his decades in law enforcement. Forcelli said twice, and both times the suppressors were found during search warrants rather than used in violent crimes.
Keane, a former prosecutor, told Crane he never encountered a case involving a suppressed firearm.
Panelists also noted that attaching a suppressor to a pistol makes it larger and harder to conceal, reducing its appeal to criminals. Keane pointed to the roughly 6.65 million suppressors now in civilian hands nationwide, saying that surge in ownership has not corresponded with any rise in suppressor use in crimes.
