[Billthedrill]

Largely it's sensationalism - the James Bond movies didn't help (on a related issue, how many people still think that a bullet through a jet's fuselage causes explosive decompression?) - but they're awfully clumsy on a pistol and you can burn through them pretty quickly. They vary in effectiveness - best I ever heard was on an HK MP-5, where it nearly was the "phut phut" you hear in the movies, but most of them are a lot louder than that.

Yes, it was a dumb decision to criminalize them. Like most gun control legislation it was written by ignoramuses, promoted by sensationalists, and passed by people who wanted to show they were "doing something" about "gun violence" even if it had no perceptible effect. Don't even get me started on the topic of bayonet lugs and pistol grips.

[MHGinTN]

Having fired an Uzi with suppressor, in 9mm, I can tell you that the loudest sound was the slamming of the bolt.

[Sir_Ed]

I had an MP5 SD that was so quiet it was like an airgun, but it got dirty so fast that its effectiveness was short-lived until it was cleaned.

Ed