Surprise Message Casts Doubt on the American Suppressor Association
February 25, 2017
Late last week I received a random, surprising email from a sender known only as “Tacticalinsider” (not necessarily affiliated with the company run by Craig Sawyer) that paints the American Suppressor Association (ASA) in a very negative light. The message, sent on Friday, tells the story of an ASA plagued by poor organization and lacking legislative or lobbying experience. I’ve shared the full text of the email below and will have more to say after the jump.
The American Suppressor Association, Irresponsible, Unqualified, and smaller than you think
When most people think of a lobbying organization, visions of bustling DC corporate offices come to mind. Legal suits crowding over solid wood conference tables hashing out details between corporate industry liaisons and congressional aids. Groups of lawyers rushing out the door to meet a 9:30 am appointment at the DC mall. It’s a controversial industry with minimal regulations. However, many good things have trickled down to the American worker over the years by way of lobbying efforts. Often, industries spending large money to protect their collective corporate interests, eventually net profit gains, which create jobs and ensure American prosperity.
So what is the ASA? The American Suppressor Association is a lobbying group started in 2011 by a then small group of industry people with a vision to decrease regulation in the market and therefore increase personal liberties and, of course, sales in a relatively small market, the American silencer industry. Manufacturers collectively sold ~88 million dollars’ worth of silencers in 2015. Compared with the US auto market in the same year at ~69billion in sales, the Suppressor market looks like a cottage industry compared at only 1/784th the size. Even when compared to the firearms industry as a whole, the silencer segment is still dwarfed, given the ~11 billion dollars of firearms industry revenue in 2015. By that comparison, the silencer segment is 1/125th the size of the firearms market as a whole.
This leads us to ask, how large or powerful could a lobbying group be that is, in essence, supported by a small-scale industry? The answer might surprise you. Currently, only two people constitute the ASA organization. Both were former silencer company employees (non-executive roles), and neither of them have any background in government work (such as a congressional aid), legal background, or previous background in lobbying. The only experienced legal member of the ASA resigned around January of 2014 due to frustrations dealing with novice ASA members impeding real progress. Losing Todd Rathner, an accomplished lobbyist and current NRA board member was seen by all in the industry as a setback to the ASA. After his exit, a family member of one of the two remaining employees of the ASA was hired as an underqualified replacement to Mr. Rathner, he then also left before the 2016 presidential election. He “pretended to lobby” in the words of an industry person by testifying in a few states but never drafting a bill and not even registering to lobby, etc. Also surprising is that the ASA has never drafted (a bill), found a sponsor for, or introduced one on their own after Rathner left the association. Although they never claim responsibility for successful legal work, much of the consumer base assumes they are a powerhouse behind the deregulation of the NFA industry and the foremost authority and strong arm behind the HPA (Hearing Protection Act HR 3799).
This then leads further to another question, which is, if the ASA is a “strong-arm” behind the HPA, what is the chance it actually has to pass? According to the two people who comprise the ASA, it is imminent, but let’s take an honest and professional look. One ASA corporate member and donor commissioned an independent research firm to study the likelihood of its passing. The firm found the bill currently has a less than 1% chance of passing before its expiration date.
The ASA has acted irresponsibly against the interest of its donors and the consumers by giving the non-informed consumer public false hope of early passing of the bill, which at the present time is not even remotely likely to pass. This misinformation to the general public has been a very destructive force in the suppressor industry, causing many, if not all, companies to disrupt American families who depended on them due to industry-wide lay-offs. Quality and innovation, which bring products to market that consumers want to buy, are in peril due to massive industry setbacks caused by the irresponsibility of the ASA. As such many corporate donors have very recently withdrawn and, in many cases, substantially decreased contributions to the association. The future of the ASA, the HPA, and the suppressor industry at large at this point is very uncertain in the minds of many industry people. The HPA will be very difficult to pass through the senate on its own, as it will need substantial support from the DNC (Democratic National Committee), as many people have recently pointed out. Revisions to the bill may be needed, and / or the bill may have to be packaged in an “Omnibus Bill” to ensure passage. If that is the case, Omnibus bills take considerable effort and time to put together, and often time’s legislators have to be very motivated to package an undesirable bill in an Omnibus. Long story short, there is no telling where the HPA will go or if / when it could pass.
One unanimous agreement among the silencer industry is that the passing of the HPA would be great progress for firearms freedom as well as progress for the silencer industry. I don’t know a single industry person who is opposed to it. However, most industry insiders have lost hope of its chances in the foreseeable future. While the ASA continues to spread misinformation and false hope to consumers, some Americans are losing their jobs as a direct result, and many Americans are pointlessly postponing the enjoyment of their freedoms to own NFA firearms. Regulated, yes, they are, but they are also presently legal to own and can be purchased today and enjoyed in the near future.
The author of this article is a current owner of an industry company and donor/sponsor to the ASA.
I don’t know about you, but the claims made by the email are surprising and bold. Even more interesting is that according to silencer industry folks to whom I forwarded this, they’re absolutely true. I know in the era of “fake news” relying on single or anonymous sources is a dangerous game, so I sent this message along to people in the know. Not only were the contents confirmed, the alleged ineptitude of the ASA has some industry supporters backing away.
All of this comes at a terribly inopportune time. With both houses of Congress in Republican control and a Republican President heading the Executive Branch, the environment is as ripe for pro-gun legislation as it has been for a long time. The ASA’s own bill, the Hearing Protection Act (HPA), seeks to remove suppressors from the purview of the National Firearms Act (NFA), but it has yet to reach the floors of either the Senate or the House. Without an effective lobbying group behind it, the HPA may never even receive a vote.
It should be cautioned that the letter does not address the state-level efforts taken by the ASA. Though the group may lack significant lobbying experience, particularly at the federal level, their enthusiasm has almost certainly helped to further silencer ownership in some states. Just last year, Iowa legalized private suppressor ownership. Part of that success can be attributed to the shoots and other events the group hosted with local legislators. Elsewhere, the ASA has promoted silencers for hunting as part of a large-scale push to legalize suppressed hunting wherever silencers may be owned. The ASA’s efforts should be commended, particularly at the state level, but federal lobbying is a significantly different, less forgiving beast with a higher bar for entry than state legislatures.
So what should enthusiasts take from this? The good news is that the HPA is already a “thing”. It is a real bill that has been filed and is awaiting committee approval. The other positive piece is that the bill has just passed 100 sponsors in the House of Representatives. The bad news is that it sounds like the ASA doesn’t quite carry the clout that many of us probably assumed. That means that the legwork of getting the HPA through Congress is going to fall on everyday people like you and me. If you want HPA to become law, take a moment and call your representatives. Don’t count on a lobbying group like the ASA to do that work in your stead.
2/27 Update: This article has been revised to recognize state-level work done by the ASA.
An information security professional by day and gun blogger by night, Nathan started his firearms journey at 16 years old as a collector of C&R rifles. These days, you’re likely to find him shooting something a bit more modern – and usually equipped with a suppressor – but his passion for firearms with military heritage has never waned. Over the last five years, Nathan has written about a variety of firearms topics, including Second Amendment politics and gun and gear reviews. When he isn’t shooting or writing, Nathan nerds out over computers, 3D printing, and Star Wars.