US plans to ease firearm laws

The US House Of Representative is reportedly planning to pass a bill this week to advance legislation on the easing of firearms rules, including a package of bills backed by the National Rifle Association (NRA) that would make it easier to purchase silencers. This comes after the deadliest mass shooting in Las Vegas that claimed the lives of 59 people and wounded 500 others.

Opponents of the bill argue that if rules are made to make it easier to make and purchase silencers, there may be more cases of mass shootings, local media reports said.

However, those in favour of the bill say that the silencer will prevent hearing damage among hunters.

The bill, which had already passed the House Natural Resources Committee on a party-line vote last month, came under renewed scrutiny following the massacre in Las Vegas.

The Sportsman's Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act (SHARE Act) was introduced last month, which would allow gun owners to transport registered firearms across state lines, carry guns in national parks and eliminate the $200 transfer tax on silencers, local media reports said.

The legislation was advancing through Congress even after gun safety advocates raised concerns that silencers could prove even more deadly in a mass shooting. According to reports, House Democrats will gather to protest against Republican inaction on gun control on Wednesday following the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

Bills toughening gun laws have repeatedly stalled in Congress for many years.