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You know, people said I was crazy and I was starting to believe it.

I learned more about “silencers” in the 80s. What I learned is that they are very, very quiet but they only worked for a few shots. Usually the first shot was as expected but even the second shot was remarkably louder and the 3rd shot may not even have a quieting effect.

Then I turned 18 and started to hang out with the “gun guys” and talking about “silencers”. In CT where I lived and grew up was at the heart of firearms manufacture and I used to speak to designers, employees and serious professionals all the time. When I started to talk to the guys designing the new Silencers they furled their lip and looked at me strangely - Saying “That’s never been the case. They reduce the sounds so it’s a bit better on the ears at the range”. Then we came along with the “... those pew-pew sounds in the movies are just movie magic. That never happens”

Then I learned that many people had to say things in a specific way to make sure the ATF wasn’t listening.

But yes, old silencers used to work a lot better - but only for a few shots. These were assassination weapons, clearly. The new silencers have to work for longer periods so they can be produced with the “Hearing protection” argument on the table. Thus, all modern armorers, shooters and hobbyists alike have been made to forget that silencers used to be quiet.

You could hear it in the woods from half a mile away, but you could put two people down in a crowded bar and no one would know it until closing time.