Quote:
Originally Posted by Sandtrap328
An NRA sponsored bill in in Congress that would legalize gun silencers.
Why?
The NRA says it is important to protect the hearing of hunters. Get real, folks! If a hunter wants his hearing protected for the times he goes hunting, buy ear plugs. Lots cheaper!
Silencers would protect domestic abusers and criminals. Prime example is the Villager who shot 32 rounds of ammunition through a neighbor's front door several months ago. Other neighbors heard the shots and called police. If a silencer was used, chances are that no one would have heard a thing and that nut case would not be in jail.
Okay, let's get an honest discussion going here with no political or name calling as to WHY silencers should or should not be legal.
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You mis-state the facts. Suppressors (the legal name - they don't "silence" anything) are
already legal. The proposed bill does not "make them legal." What it does do is remove the $200
tax on purchasing one.
The argument in favor of tax-free suppressors for hunters is valid. It has been known since the 1960s that the sound of the muzzle blast of firearms has a cumulative detrimental effect on the hearing of hunters and target shooters.
Wearing ear protection (muffs or earplugs) is practical for target shooting, but impractical for hunters. The main reason is that when hunting game, both seeing and hearing are necessary for the hunter to be effective and safe.
Now, regarding the effectiveness of suppressors:
1. They don't really work on revolvers, regardless of what you see on television. The noise of the blast emerges from the revolvers from the gap between the front of the cylinder and the throat of the barrel.
2. They don't really work on rifles that fire bullets that travel faster than the speed of sound, because the bullet breaking the sound barrier makes a noise of its own. BUT, that sound is not as intense as the muzzle blast, so the suppressor
does provide protection for the hunter.
3. Silencers are rarely used in crimes.
ATF: 1.3 Million Silencers in U.S. Rarely Used in Crimes
Only 44 silencer-related crimes each year.
BY: Stephen Gutowski
February 17, 2017 5:00 am
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) released statistics to the Washington Free Beacon on Wednesday showing that the nearly
1.3 million silencers registered in the United States are rarely used in crimes.
"As of 02-03-2017,
there are 1,297,670 suppressors registered with ATF under the National Firearms Act," Justice Department spokesman Dillon McConnell told the Free Beacon.
That number is an increase of nearly 400,000 registered silencers since the same time last year, when ATF records indicated there were 902,805 silencers in the country.
The ATF confirmed that silencers are rarely used in crimes despite their explosion in popularity. The agency has only recommended prosecutions for 44 silencer-related crimes per year over the past decade. That means
roughly .003 percent of silencers are used in crimes each year. Of those 44 crimes per year, only 6 involved defendants with prior felony convictions.
ATF: 1.3 Million Silencers in U.S. Rarely Used in Crimes
So, there you go. Facts. No name calling. And a reminder that
"silencers" are already legal.
Carl in Tampa
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