Why Silencers Arent Golden

[billh58]

If you heard that a proposed law was entitled the “Hearing Protection Act,” you might believe the law was intended, say, to strengthen protections for the hearing of workers exposed to high noise levels on the job or to require healthcare plans to cover the costs of auditory tests.

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The Hearing Protection Act of 2017 is actually a bill being lobbied for by the National Rifle Association and the American Suppressor Association—who even knew such an organization existed!—which aims to loosen restrictions on access to silencers for guns.

- Snip -

The sound of gunfire alerts people that someone is firing a weapon nearby and that they should take suitable precautions. If that sound is muffled, people may be unaware that they’re in danger and thus not take cover.

In addition, the sound of gunfire may drive individuals to call the police, alerting authorities to a possible crime or accidental shooting. But if a gun has a silencer, no one may hear it when it’s fired and so someone in need of medical attention may not get it in time.

https://thecrimereport.org/2017/06/20/why-silenced-guns-arent-golden/

H.R. 367 would enable dangerous people to buy silencers with no background check whatsoever.

•The NFA, which was passed in 1934 to fight organized crime, requires buyers of silencers, machine guns, and other especially dangerous weapons to pass criminal background checks and comply with other common-sense safety provisions.

•H.R. 367 would strip this requirement for silencers. And—for the first time in 80 years—felons, domestic abusers, and the dangerously mentally ill would be able to buy silencers with no background check, simply by finding an unlicensed seller.

•Removing silencers from the NFA would undermine the law’s success in keeping the public, and law enforcement officers, safe from crime. Research shows the use of silenced firearms in crime is rare, demonstrating the NFA works to keep silencers out of the wrong hands.

•It’s often the sound of gunshots that prompts calls to 911. In Washington, DC, for example, 911 operators receive over a thousand calls every year reporting the sound of shots fired.

•ShotSpotter, a tool which recognizes the sound of gunshots, alerted law enforcement to nearly 75,000 gunfire incidents in 72 cities in 2015: That’s an average of one every 7 minutes.

•These alerts matter because quick access to medical care saves lives. Shorter 911 response times increase a victim’s likelihood of survival, and have been estimated to explain up to 56% of the decrease in homicides over the last 50 years.

The right-wing gun lobby and its enablers say that none of the above is true and that suppressors/silencers are totally harmless and good for shooters and the public in general. The truth is that profits for the death merchants are more important to the Trumpsters than public health and the reduction of our nation's gun violence epidemic.

[Hoyt]

1. Well, we need to protect the hearing of white wing militia types

and armed cowboys training to shoot minorities and whatever else they hate.

[billh58]

4. Of course we do.

And the right wing gun lobby desperately needs the money.

[Kaleva]

2. In many Western European nations, the use of suppressors is legal.

In other European countries, they are illegal for civilians.

http://en.browning-blog.eu/can-i-use-my-sound-moderator-abroad/

A good article about the subject in the WP:

"Are firearms with a silencer ‘quiet’?"

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2017/03/20/are-firearms-with-a-silencer-quiet/?utm_term=.3cc1e4c88ca7

Frankly, I think the article in the OP contains errors and misconceptions. A high powered rifle with a suppressor is still louder then a jackhammer. While wearing hearing protection is good, it's far better to be wearing hearing protection while shooting a gun equipped with a suppressor.

This is what ShotSpotter says about detecting suppressed gunfire:

"16. Does ShotSpotter detect gunshots from gun silencers?
In regard to gun silencers it is more accurate to call them suppressors as they suppress the impulsive sound of gun fire not wholly eliminate it.
We have successfully if not inadvertently detected confirmed suppressed gunfire within our existing deployments.
Although we have not formally tested the theoretical impact to our system we intend to do some targeted testing in the near future. We believe we will have various options ranging from increasing our sensor array density to developing software/firmware to address the detection of suppressed gunfire if it were to become a widespread issue."

http://www.shotspotter.com/system/content-uploads/ShotSpotter_FAQ_June_2017.pdf

It's easy to make a homemade suppressor and there are numerous youtube videos and articles on the internet giving detailed info on how to do so. Flashlights, oil filters, 2 liter pop bottles (for 22s), PVC pipe, electrical conduit, sprinkler risers, cardboard tubing and so on are common materials for making a homemade suppressor.

IMO, the main reason criminals don't use them now is not because they are illegal unless they are registered and one pays the $200.00 tax but because they are of little use except in a few select criminal acts. And a handgun with a suppressor, even a legal one, is much harder to conceal.

[billh58]

3. Thanks for the right-wing NRA talking points

as predicted, but bubye Bubba.

[billh58]

5. H.R. 367 Is Dangerous and Unnecessary, Would Make It Easier to Buy Silencers Illegally

Bottom Line: Silencers pose a significant danger in the wrong hands, making it harder for bystanders or law enforcement to identify and react quickly to gunshots. In an active shooter situation, for example, hearing and recognizing a gunshot can be a matter of life and death. But the gun lobby is pushing a radical bill in Congress (H.R. 367) that would make it easier for dangerous people to obtain silencers, by removing silencers from the National Firearms Act (NFA). The NFA has kept silencers out of criminal hands for over eighty years, without blocking access for law-abiding citizens. The bill is presented under the guise of hearing protection, but silencers are not the most effective way to protect hearing for gun users—widely available ear protection is cheaper and more effective. Lawmakers should reject H.R. 367 and the gun lobby’s dangerous pursuit of profit over safety.

https://everytownresearch.org/h-r-367-is-dangerous-and-unnecessary-would-make-it-easier-to-buy-silencers-illegally/

Part of the right-wing gun lobby's efforts to sell more guns and accessories: guns everywhere for everyone.

[billh58]

6. RELEASE: Law Enforcement Leaders Call on Congress to Put Public Safety First, Reject SHARE Act

September 11, 2017 —In advance of tomorrow’s Congressional hearing on a bill that includes a provision to roll back a federal law that’s been keeping silencers out of the hands of dangerous people for over 80 years, distinguished law enforcement leaders from across the country are calling on Congress to oppose this dangerous legislation. Released today by Americans for Responsible Solutions and signed by a group of law enforcement leaders, a letter addressed to Congressional leadership explains the serious threats this bill poses to the public safety of communities across the country if it were to pass.

The letter reads: “As longtime law enforcement professionals, we have seen the horrific results of dangerous weapons falling into the wrong hands. The deregulation of firearm silencers through the SHARE Act or the Hearing Protection Act would only make these results more common and often more fatal. We urge you to reject any reckless attempt to remove silencers from the NFA, including the SHARE Act and the Hearing Protection Act, and help us to keep American communities safe.”

Tomorrow, David Chipman, a former Special Agent at ATF for 25 years and a Senior Policy Advisor at Americans for Responsible Solutions, will testify before the House Committee on Natural Resources Federal Lands Subcommittee about the public safety threats posed by the Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement (SHARE) Act.

“When gun silencers fall in the wrong hands they are inherently dangerous devices. Silencers mask the sound and flash of gunfire. They make it difficult for people who are nearby, including law enforcement officers, to identify the sound of gunshots and locate an active shooter,” said David Chipman, former ATF Special Agent and Senior Policy Advisor at Americans for Responsible Solutions. “Because of effective regulation, silencers are rarely used in crimes and rarely sold illegally. Congress should not change that; they should not dismantle a law that’s working and keeping our communities safer.”

http://americansforresponsiblesolutions.org/2017/09/11/le-letter-share-act/

The right-wing gun lobby arguments that "silencers are for hearing protection only" is refuted by law enforcement, and gun control groups across the nation. Silencers/suppressors are primarily manufactured to mask the sound of gun shots, and any other reasons are secondary.