Should gun silencers be legalized on Guam? A bill that would allow for the licensing of firearm sound suppressors was moved to the voting file during session Monday, but not without some vocal opposition.

The measure was introduced by Sen. Tony Ada. Its purpose, he said, was to make training with firearms safer by reducing the sound of a gunshot by 15 to 30 decibels. He said for gun owners, every decibel counts.

"When you're constantly out there on the firing range, even if you're wearing hearing protection, a reduced gunfire helps protect your hearing," Ada said.

He said it's not true that silencers blunt the sound of a gunshot so you can't hear it. And he adds, that it's also a myth that it enables criminals.

"Based on reports from the US justice department, from 2011 to 2019 there are 1.3 million suppressors in circulation in the United States with only sixteen instances of criminal use since 2011," he said.

But opposition came from Sen. Telena Nelson and Speaker Therese Terlaje. Nelson brought up a recent viral video where a man was brandishing a rifle in an apparent dispute with neighbors.

"I support the second amendment, I support the right to bear arms but we need to do a better job at making proper safety measures before we move forward with this type of legislation," Nelson said. "If someone has the will to pull out a firearm in a residential zone, pointing their firearm at other individuals within the residential area, then we have an issue here."If you're really truly out there for the sport and out of the passion, you don't need a firearm suppressor, you just need to put on earplugs."

"The loud and distinctive noise of a gunshot is important to protecting our community against gunshots," Terlaje said. "It is what alerts us to the realization that we may need to run, hide, or protect others. It is what alerts law enforcement."

Sen. Sabina Perez attempted to amend the bill to restrict the use of silencers to law enforcement training. But it was voted down.

"Once again here we are trying to keep our law-abiding citizens from availing themselves of this hearing protection," she said. "Madame speaker I think what we fail to understand is that anyone with a criminal intent will do everything they can to circumvent law and they will find a way to avail themselves of a suppressor."