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Senate advances Hearing Protection Act to legalize firearm suppressors with rules, prompting safety and policing concerns
Summary
Senators moved Bill 27‑38, the Hearing Protection Act of 2025, to third reading after committee markup added ATF‑aligned definitions, GPD rulemaking and fee language; supporters argued suppressors reduce hearing damage, while opponents and judiciary cited public‑safety and law enforcement response concerns.
The Guam Legislature on the floor moved the Hearing Protection Act of 2025 (Bill 27‑38) to third reading after a lengthy debate that balanced hearing‑safety arguments with public‑safety and law‑enforcement concerns.
Senator Parkinson (bill sponsor) said the measure would legalize firearm suppressors (commonly but imprecisely called “silencers”) on Guam to reduce the risk of noise‑induced hearing loss during training and to help survivors of domestic violence train safely. He cited federal public‑health guidance, telling colleagues that “suppressors cut gunshot noise by 20 to 35 decibels” and referenced CDC and NIOSH recommendations endorsing noise suppression where legally permissible.
The bill, as amended in committee and reported on the floor by Senator Fontelofo, adopts the ATF definition of…
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