By State Representative Sandra Scott (D-Rex)
(463 words)
There is a sickness spreading through our nation, and it’s not just the rise in mass shootings or gun violence. It’s the moral sickness of lawmakers who look into the tear-filled eyes of grieving parents and still choose the gun lobby over public safety. And now, they want to silence the very sound of violence.
Buried in the so-called “Big Beautiful Budget Bill” is one of the most dangerous betrayals of public trust we’ve seen in recent memory: the deregulation of gun silencers. By removing suppressors from the National Firearms Act and eliminating the $200 tax and background check process, this legislation makes it easier than ever for someone to kill quietly. That should terrify every American.
As a mother, grandmother and a longtime state representative in Georgia, I’ve been fighting for common sense gun legislation since the murder of Trayvon Martin. I’ve walked the halls of the Capitol and watched my colleagues vote down bill after bill meant to protect our children, our seniors and our most vulnerable neighbors. Enough is enough.
The logic of deregulating silencers is as twisted as it is terrifying. Silencers serve one purpose—to mask the sound of gunfire. That means fewer screams, fewer chances to run, fewer warnings and fewer lives saved. In a country already drowning in gun violence, why would we make it easier for killers to hide?
And yet, Congress has done just that.
Even more disturbing is the rise of Glock switches—illegal devices that convert handguns into fully automatic weapons capable of firing dozens of rounds in seconds. These switches are flooding our streets, turning small arms into battlefield weapons. And still, too many elected officials stay silent, while kids in our schools, families at parades and seniors in grocery stores live in fear.
In the Georgia General Assembly, I’ve introduced multiple bills to ban Glock switches, require safe storage and strengthen protections in schools. But time and again, these bills are blocked, ignored or buried in committee.
Let me be clear: this isn’t about politics. This is about life and death. I have three grandchildren, five nieces and nephews and a neighborhood full of children who deserve to grow up, go to school and come home safely. The idea that someone could walk down the street with a silenced weapon—firing modified rounds at rapid speed—isn’t just horrifying; it’s criminal negligence by lawmakers.
We cannot allow silencers to become the norm. We cannot sit idle while “freedom” is weaponized to justify death. And we certainly cannot afford to let lawmakers silence our voices along with their weapons.
To every family who has lost a loved one to gun violence: I see you. I stand with you. I fight for you.
And I promise this—I will not be silent.
Representative Sandra Scott represents the citizens of District 76, which includes a portion of Clayton County. She was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2010 and currently serves on the Banks & Banking, Defense & Veterans Affairs, Human Relations & Aging, Insurance and Reapportionment and Redistricting committees.
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