Tenney co-sponsors H.R. 367

Claudia Tenney has signed on as co-sponsor to The Hearing Protection Act of 2017, H.R. 367.  She is the third local Representative to do so.

Meanwhile, Connecticut Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro brings on the crazy with an op-ed in the New Haven Register, “Gun lobby’s latest trick is to use ‘hearing loss’ to bring more silencers into the market“:

“… this bill is the latest attempt by the gun lobby to sneak in massive and potentially dangerous rollbacks to gun violence prevention through misleading legislation … The gun lobby wants you to believe that this proposal is about protecting hearing — but the dangers of more easily accessible silencers far outweigh any purported benefits … To push this “Hearing Protection Act” is a bold-faced attempt to mislead the American people. According to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, there is no evidence of a public health issue associated with hearing loss from gun fire …”

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association does not agree with that statement:

“… People who use firearms are more likely to develop hearing loss than those who do not …”

Neither does the American Hearing Research Foundation:

“… Every gunshot produces a noise that could damage the ears of anyone in close hearing range. Large bore guns and artillery are the worst because they are the loudest. But even cap guns and firecrackers can damage your hearing if the explosion is close to your ear. Anyone who uses firearms without some form of ear protection risks hearing loss …”