There’s not much going on at the federal level for gun rights activists to get excited about. With the sunset of the 1994 Assault Weapon Ban, there’s only so much going on to focus attention on.

One of the thing that is there happens to be the Hearing Protection Act. That bill legalizes suppressors, treating them less as deadly weapons accessories (which they’re really not) and more as safety devices (which they are). The bill is currently in committee, but that doesn’t mean it’s not generating some controversy.

As Guns.com reports, gun grabbers are claiming the record number of sales of suppressors is proof we don’t need the new law.

Americans for Responsible Solutions, the group formed by former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords and her husband Capt. Mark Kelly, said Wednesday that recently released data illustrating a marked rise in the numbers of suppressors in circulation makes the argument they should be deregulated to increase access to the devices moot.

The response comes after the latest ATF Firearms Commerce Report showed the numbers of National Firearm Act-regulated items at an all-time high — including a 50 percent increase in suppressors registered since the previous report. Giffords’ group holds the upward trend refutes the firearms industry’s contention that the sound moderating devices should be removed from the NFA’s purview to allow greater use as safety devices.

“It’s no accident that the number of silencers registered with ATF has more than quadrupled in the past seven years, from just over 285,000 in 2010 to over 1,360,000 in 2016,” said Peter Ambler, executive director of the group. “Aggressive marketing campaigns have skyrocketed the popularity of silencers among gun enthusiasts, which is why it should come as no surprise that the gun lobby is now aiming to gut long-standing laws that were designed to protect public safety in order to continue boosting their bottom line by making this product even easier to buy.”

In their statement, the group contends that 83-years of strict NFA regulation have meant the devices are rarely used in crime and that deregulation would lead to private sales of suppressors away from the current lengthy background check process and $200 tax on each transfer, with the result being a threat to public safety.

Oh, those sweet, idiotic fools.

In a free society, the onus isn’t on us to prove a law should be repealed, the onus is on those who support it to prove the law is needed. They need to prove that unregistered suppressors are a menace to society…and they can’t.

The closest they can do is show a few movies, but suppressors in the real world aren’t like “silencers” in the movies. They don’t make things whisper quiet because bullets traveling at supersonic speeds will still create noise.  You see, there’s this little thing called “the sound barrier.” Ask Chuck Yeager what happens when you go faster than that speed.

Hell, ask anyone who has lived near a base with Navy or Air Force jets for that matter.

Breaking the sound barrier creates noise. A lot of it. That means that any noise that could benefit criminals would still exist. All a suppressor really does is allow those who shoot regularly to not need hot, stuffy ear muffs or uncomfortable ear plugs when they shoot.

Further, just because a record number of people are buying them doesn’t mean the regulations aren’t burdensome. They are. It’s the sole reason I don’t have any. No one should have to go to a government official, hat in hand, and grovel for permission to buy a product used in the exercise of one’s constitutionally protected right. Period.

What do you think? Should suppressors be bought off the shelf, or are they too dangerous for the average joe to own?