Lee Williams is a totally pro-RKBA guy working at a newspaper whose majority dislike firearms. It's good to have him there. $:-)
Florida and RKBA list combo-ping!
Suppressors are common in Europe. They are considered to be “neighborly”, as it muffles the sound of the shot and reduces the noise footprint.
They make suppressors for revolvers? I did not know that.
I’ve never understood why suppressors are NFA. In gun-control-crazy European countries, suppressors are mandatory.
I blame the James Bond flicks, not entirely tongue in cheek: first, that it's a "phht phht" sound, second, that it's an assassin's tool (and third, that a bullet through an airliner window will suck the entire passenger section contents out into the cold blue sky, but that's another issue). There are some pretty good suppressors, one I tried on an MP-5 coming to mind, that do approach that level of suppression, but that's a big honkin' thing on a submachine gun. If you're not using subsonic ammunition it's going to be loud anyway once the bullet exits the muzzle. HERE'S Hickok45 with a suppressed .223. It's still pretty good but it isn't silent.
Some places (Africa, I'm told), using one is regarded as simple consideration for your neighbors. But it isn't going to let me pickle off a .300 Winchester Magnum in the rumpus room. Dang it.
I remember about 45 years ago in Vietnam. We had to go on some op that required extreme quiet. They took our rifles from us and handed out small handguns with noise suppressors. They were .22LR. I never actually got to shoot it though, so I never experienced the whump sound.
Lee Williams is a totally pro-RKBA guy working at a newspaper whose majority dislike firearms. It's good to have him there. $:-)
Florida and RKBA list combo-ping!
I’ve fired an Uzi and a MAC 10 with suppressors, and the report on each was considerably reduced. But these are submachine guns with (relatively) low-velocity rounds and extremely short barrels in their natural state. Practically anything would reduce the flash and bang from them.
If it is a good idea that helps out gun owners, you can guarantee that the Rats will oppose it.
Personally, there are subsonic bullets (especially in 22 rimfire caliber) that are already exceedingly quite, where a silencer isn't going to add much. For varmint hunting, such a rig with a target 22 rifle allows one to clear a field before the varmints figure out what is going on.
On a side note at the range I belong to they have a shooting course for beginners that I have brought friends to. One of the things they do is hold a piece of paper next to the cylinder gap while firing a revolver. Kind of gets the point across that if you use a two-handed grip you need to keep all parts of your second hand far away from that spray of hot gas. The other thing they do is explain how a typical 1911 pistol and other semi-autos can “bite” you when the slide recoils. That seems to be the harder lesson for new shooters to learn.
It makes sense logistically, and it is a change I'm guessing even the most ardent ATF agent would support.
Logic and freedom for the masses are not things that even semi-ardent BATFE agents would consider.
Nobody’s mentioned it here, but the really important thing about suppressors is they preserve your hearing. After years on firing lines in the Army with nothing but ineffective plastic plugs, I have severe hearing loss. There’s a pattern to hearing loss from firearms - the offside ear (left ear for a righthander)has more damage then the other one. I wish we had used suppressors on the firing line back in the day, then I wouldn’t have to wear hearing aids now. Remember Reagan had hearing loss from being next to blanks fired in the movies.
The reason suppressors are banned is because poachers used them back in the 1920’s to quietly take game animals. Hunters risk their hearing because the government is worried about poachers. Like most government rules, the suppressor ban doesn’t accomplish the intended effect. Poachers use .22’s because they’re quiet. But .22s wound more game than larger calibers so game animals aren’t protected.
One more regulation where the object of the regulation isn’t accomplished - game predation is made worse. Innocent bystanders, hunters and shooters, lose their hearing. And the government loses money on the deal. Everybody loses, very Obama like.
Now this is a “common sense gun law” that I can get behind. Supressors for all!