Don’t Panic, But Now Might Be a Great Time to Buy a Suppressor
I get the feeling that suppressors are about to get a little more illegal-er.
Last Friday, some skidmark decided to shoot up his workplace, and he did it using a suppressor. It’s only been a couple of days since, but already the anti-gunners are (pardon the pun) up in arms about the fact that it’s possible for law-abiding citizens to purchase one. It’s not exactly easy, of course: Despite the fact that the silencer designed by Hiram Maxim is nothing more than a sound-suppression device like a car’s muffler, American gun laws treat silencers as if they were actual, full-auto machine guns. And I suspect that there’s about to be a big push to outlaw them completely, just like the bump-stock ban. Here’s why.
First, any time there’s a mass shooting, the first thing that the gun banners do is try to figure out what the shooter used, and how they can leverage that information. If it was an AR-15, they’ll howl about “assault weapons.” If it was a handgun, they’ll scream about “high capacity ‘clips'” (because they have no idea how clips and magazines differ, of course). If the shooter used a five-shot, .22-caliber revolver, they’ll start a whole new gun-banning foundation and just do their best to ban them all. So the fact that the Virginia Beach skidmark used a suppressor has already got their tiny little pinheads spinning.
Consider, if you will, this steaming pile of hoplophobia, courtesy of Salon’s Amanda Marcotte:
Craddock likely purchased his silencer legally at one of the Virginia gun stores that sell the devices, but the heavy federal regulation of silencers has been successful in suppressing the popularity of this particular accessory. But the NRA, whose primary purpose is to boost sales for gun manufacturers, has been trying to change this, lobbying Congress and rolling out major marketing initiatives in hopes of gutting the 1934 law.
Notice something there? She acknowledges that silencers are already very heavily regulated, in much the same way that Marcotte and her anti-gun ilk would like to see all firearms regulated. But the following sentence is designed to stir up the righteous indignation of the (imagined) reader by claiming that the Hearing Protection Act is a current high-priority push for the NRA…and implying that the NRA is doing so as a direct response to the shooting. Neither is the case. The HPA has been dead in the water since the 2018 elections, when Democrats re-took the House of Representatives. The idea here is to conflate “silencer” with “NRA,” in hopes that anti-gunners will push to ban silencers just to stick it to the big, bad NRA.
And, not for nothing, Amanda, but do you know that the NRA is actually not the lobby for gun manufacturers? They’re the lobby for gun owners. The lobby for gun manufacturers is the National Shooting Sports Foundation. (Also, if you want to get a taste of power, I recommend sticking your tongue in an electrical socket.)
That’s all beside the point, of course. The point is right there in the second clause of the first sentence: “successful in suppressing the popularity of this particular accessory.” Marcotte, along with all the others, is fully aware that suppressors aren’t commonly owned in America…and that’s why they all figure that banning them completely will be as relatively easy as it was with bump stocks. Bump stocks were also considered something of a novelty, and they weren’t terribly popular. Which is, no doubt, part of the reason why President Trump felt that he wouldn’t get too much pushback if he banned them.
And, sadly, when it comes to suppressors, Trump has already stated he doesn’t “like them at all.” It’s entirely possible that he’ll get back on-message soon–he’s facing an election campaign soon, and gun owners tend to have very long memories indeed–but it doesn’t make for a feeling of confidence.
In closing, a bit of irony. In this one particular case, it seems that the U.S. could take a very handy lesson from European gun laws: In much of Europe, firearm owners are expected to purchase and use suppressors for their guns. It’s considered a vital health and safety concern, protecting the hearing of the user and being polite to the neighbors who live near shooting ranges. Why is it that this is the one piece of “common-sense gun control” that American gun haters reject outright?
My husband is getting more into guns, so I wanted more info on add-ons he should get. I didn’t know Europeans had gun suppressors to protect their hearing for the user and people living near shooting ranges. I’ll have to keep that in mind and find other alternatives to suppressors that are legal for my husband as he buys more guns, thanks to this post!
Maybe the bigger message is gun owners who believe it is a Right need to start standing up and acting that way. ALL gun laws are an infringement but too many rationalize things like restricting fully automatic or agreeing with background checks or saying “Well, it’s a private business but even though the law says they can’t ban some folks it’s OK to put up a little sticker and ban my gun” etc etc.
We need to stand on principle, have the difficult discussions and educate people. The 2A wasn’t written for “MSRs” or other sporting purposes but rather for “assault weapons” to keep an out of control gov, like those who just attempted a coup and jailed innocent citizens, in check.
And it’s fine if you disagree, just understand you’re in the “guns are a privilege “ camp and not “guns are a Right”
Obliviously the trolls are out in force.
Good sales pitch. Run and buy now.
They would have to jump through some big hoops to ban suppressors. Not going to happen. Way too easy to make, they want their tax money.
A Bump Stock is also fairly easy to make from common hardware pieces. It may not look pretty, but it WILL greatly increase the number of rounds sent down range. If YouTube hasn’t done their usual crap, there are several examples of how to make a Bump Stock available.
There are other devices available to increase firepower that are available for around fifty-dollars.
Many of you are correct on your opinions however the big problem is not Trump, he has all the dems trying to skin him! He will try anything to keep them away or placate them. He does need all of our support. I am not his biggest fan but I am more afraid of what may come after. The house needs a good cleaning. I honestly dont know how they stay in Congress for so many years. ( and be total dumb asses )
Dumb Ass voters?
I am so depressed that people in the USA are well on their way to becoming the ,most stupid people in the world. A republic cannot exist with a stupid population. The anti-gun crowd count on this so their lies will take root and grow.
This is what happens when a 20+ year gun control supporting Democrat puts a fake (R) next to their name. The uneducated voters believe the fake (R) and elect him then make excuses every time he pushes forward gun control….even when he ignores and violates the Constitutional separation of powers to do it.
Some day the voters will wake up and support a 2nd amendment friendly POTUS again but it may be too late at this rate.
Chicken Little claimed the sky was falling too, but that didn’t happen either did it.
Keep bashing Trump and see what kind of shithole the next Democrat President has in mind for you.
Idiots!
You could ban them, but people.will still make them if so inclined.
I’m going with fake news. BATF clearly announced legal purchase of handguns, but was “silent” on the suppressor. A legally purchased suppressor should have been the easiest to verify. I think he either he had an illegal suppressor (likely homemade) or some kind of can that looked like a suppressor. Of course facts don’t matter to the news media and politicians, maybe it is time to buy.
yup, one incident with a heavily regulated device and now we are all at risk of losing them. this is just wrong.
NRA was happy to sign off on the bump stock ban as well. No different than what the organization did in 1968, 1986, 1993, and 1994,
The NRA signing off on the Bump Stock Ban was the reason why I CANCELLED my Life Membership and fully support Gun Owners of America (GOA) that actually resists any infringement on the 2nd Amendment.
Here in NJ (and several other liberal-run states), suppressors are outlawed, not even the police can have them – so getting one or several is not an option. But right over the Delaware, you can get them along with every other NFA item in PA – yet no real crimes happen with them or SBRs or 30 round AR mags (standard, not high capacity) in the state. So when I hear this type of BS – I know it all about control as I already have similar stuff going on here in NJ. Personally I would love to get a suppressor for my ARs – they are borderline unbearably loud in an indoor range and this would solve that problem.
At this point, liberals are going hard and deep to get a gun ban going – it just needs several more events like this to sway the idiot public into thinking it is in their best interests and then push it through. War is coming as a result – make no mistake.
If you are expecting President Trump to react to events with deliberation you are simply not watching the ball game. He reacts impulsively and the press knows it. They will exploit this weakness to the maximum advantage and the White House staff will be helpless to prevent it. They just need to get very good at saying “What the President meant to say was………………………..” and we just need to be ready to clean up after the parade. For 2020 there are no other options.
Nice to see the anti-Trump crowd has weighed in.
Can you blame them for being honest? He has been a gun control supporting Democrat for over 20 years. He even wrote about it in his books.
BTW, did the fake (R) next to his name protect bump-fire stock owners? Will it protect suppressor owners?
No, it will only be used to provide cover for the NRA who supported him and the voters who were too ignorant to read his books and see through the fake (R).
Let’s not forget that President Trump, when asked if he believed that suppressors should be banned, he replied “I don’t like them at all”.
This, coming from the same President who via presidential dictate ordered the BATFE to redefine what constitutes a machinegun under the law, shouldn’t be dismissed as mere rhetoric.
Of course on the bright side, if they do use this as an opportunity to outright ban suppressors, we should see a significant spike in availability of suppressors on the black market.
Followed by an increased use in the commission of crimes.
Since, after all, the social indoctrinators have been inundating their fellow travelers with the message that they’re supposed to be using them to that end.
And Trump is already FOR it.
Trump was AGAINST the 2nd until he was FOR it.
Trump has never been for the 2nd. His books make that very clear. He just needed to say he was pro 2nd and put a fake (R) next to his name to fool the voters and give the NRA cover for their latest sell out.
this message should be sent in its entirety to every elected person in d.c. what part of shall not infringe dont they get? excellent piece of journalism which they wouldnt dare infringe on.words and guns are just tools to use. the mental health of every one should be the priority to address across this nation and the world.