Chris Murphy’s Take on Hearing Protection Act is Exactly as Stupid as You’d Expect

Sen. Chris Murphy has a lot of what one might charitably call “thoughts.” I wouldn’t call them that, though, because many seem to lack any actual brain power going into them.

No, I’m not a fan.

The problem is that for a man who has been on an anti-gun jihad for years now, he’s willfully ignorant of firearms in almost every way possible.

I say it’s willful because I seriously doubt no one has offered to educate the man. He’s just refused.

As an American, that’s his right.

The problem is that Murphy still continues on his anti-gun jihad, and he uses fearmongering and misconceptions, and then he puts them out in public.

Mass murderers use silencers so their targeted victims can’t hear the gun shots, and they can kill more people who don’t flee when the shooting begins.

That’s why we MUST stop the Republican effort to pad the profits of the gun industry by ending background checks on silencers. pic.twitter.com/gfcheMdzht

— Chris Murphy 🟧 (@ChrisMurphyCT) June 12, 2025

That’s a bold statement. It’s also an impressive one.

What’s impressive is how so much of it is absolutely wrong.

First, exactly one mass murderer has ever used a suppressor so far as I’m aware. Any others who did so likely did so well before the current era of mass murders. The one who did was the Virginia Beach killer, who had long owned a suppressor under current law, but most don’t bother. The terror seems to be part of what they get off on, so I doubt that would change.

Still, there’s only been one, so to use the plural is nothing but fearmongering.

It should also be noted that you can find 3D-printer files for suppressors if you really look, which means anyone who wants one can have one without any trouble. Removing them from the NFA won’t lead to bad actors getting them, since they can get them right here and now.

Further, the Hearing Protection Act removes them from the National Firearms Act list. They’ll still be covered under the Gun Control Act, which means buyers purchasing from licensed dealers will have to undergo a NICS check, just like buying a gun.

And let’s be real here, a suppressor extends the barrel of a firearm by a handful of inches, which is the last thing most criminals want.

And last but most certainly not least, suppressors don’t work like in the movies. They don’t make gunshots whisper quiet.

What they do is reduce the sound somewhat, where hearing protection isn’t as necessary. Some make it completely unnecessary, but you can still hear the shot. What you hear in the movies and on television is something that almost never happens in real life, but so many people learned all they know about suppressors from the entertainment industry that they buy this nonsense.

In truth, I’m not sure Murphy is unaware of this. I don’t put it past him to just outright lie about it. He’s still stupid because this is the modern internet world where the information is too easily debunked, including a proposed Community Note on this X post, but he still does it. That’s weapons-grade stupid, if you ask me.