Outlaw duct tape and bleach bottles, too.
Posted on 04/11/2011 6:19:54 AM PDT by marktwain
Noise pollution.
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing!
When it comes to firearms, it comes with the territory.
Why anyone does not have the ability in Michigan to suppress the ear-damaging noise of guns is beyond me.
But, if you attach a sound suppressor to your firearm in this state, you’d be guilty of a felony, unless you have a Title II firearms license for machine guns, sound suppressors and destructive devices.
Recently, Washington state has allowed its citizens the option of using sound suppressors on firearms and, believe it or not, even the state sheriffs and police chiefs supported the measure.
The bill’s sponsor, Representative Bryan Blake (D-Aberdeen) said, “Hollywood movies have stigmatized the silencers. They show them as the bad guys’ guns.”
If it were actually true, there’d be a push to overturn the legal use of sound suppressors in the more than 30 states that currently allow them.
But, the silence is deafening.
That’s not to say everyone likes the idea.
“We are disappointed,” said Washington Ceasefire member Michael Martin, whose group is working to decrease gun violence.
I guess I just don’t see the connection. But then again, I’m probably not as much of a movie buff as Mr. Martin.
However, there is a connection to hearing loss when big bores go boom without adequate ear protection. It’s happened enough to me to know. And if sound suppressors could save the hearing of just one individual, I’m all for it.
Sorry, gun grabbers, for stealing your rhetoric.
Even in the 34 states that permit sound suppressors, there’s a hefty price to pay beyond the cost of the hardware itself.
In 1934, a tax of $200 was levied on the gun mufflers and the tax is still in place today. Extensive background checks are also mandated.
And skirting the law by owning a sound suppressor, which is not properly registered and taxed, is a violation of federal tax code (tax evasion), which is a felony punishable by large fines and up to ten years in prison.
That’s serious stuff, as anyone familiar with Al Capone’s demise will attest. Unless your name is Timothy Geithner, you’d better not try it.
Legitimate users for today’s sound suppressors include animal control officers and contractors in municipalities, parks and airports.
It’s all about public relations. Although the majority of states consider target shooting a legitimate use, Michigan does not.
As we continue to run out of land, neighbors get closer and closer.
While Michigan law defines a safety zone as an area within 150 yards of an occupied dwelling, house, cabin or any barn or other building used in a farm operation, hunting and shooting requires written permission of the owner or occupant of such safety zone. It’s not so with target shooting and the discharge of firearms.
There’s no way to be polite with the sound of gunfire when neighbors are within earshot distance. Public relations should not be the sole privilege of government entities, nor should hearing protection be limited to the select.
There simply is no legitimate reason why someone willing to pay the fee and be subjected to intense governmental scrutiny, shouldn’t have the right to a little less noise for himself and those around him.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Glen Wunderlich is an outdoors writer for The Argus-Press. He can be reached by sending email to glenway@tds.net.
I understand the ban on sound suppressors, but what about silencers? Are they illegal too?
What's a silencer? Where do I get one for my firearms?
From the title, I was hoping that this article was about a plan to build a bunch of active noise suppressors (like large Bose headphones) around the mosques. How many people are suffering hearing damage from that noise?
“What’s a silencer? Where do I get one for my firearms?”
I know what a silencer is, but what’s a firearm?
Ain't no such thing.
They're the same thing. Suppressor is a better description, they aren't really silent.
Well played.
And all these years we thought they were!
Outlaw duct tape and bleach bottles, too.
MIping
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HUH? You must be from Rio Linda. Just for you, a firearm (according to Webster) is a weapon from which a shot is discharged by gunpowder. Now what is a silencer? I've never seen one except for the movies.
IMO it should on the same level as buying a handgun.
You're not a hoplophobe, are you?
Neither silencers (a brand name that became generic) nor sound suppressors (the generic term) are illegal from a federal standpoint; they are banned in some (hoplophobic) states.
Federal law requires that if you pass the background check, get your local LEO to sign off, and pay the $200 tax, you can buy a suppressor.
Unlike you, I do not "understand" why ownership of suppressors requires so much legal scrutiny, or why they are illegal in hoplophobic states. It's a muffler. Prior to 1934, they were sold in hardware stores.
Are you kidding? I brew my own beer; just finished a 5-gallon batch of Pilsener (brewing, that is; not drinking!).
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