by I am a sucker for a really good infographic and SilencerCo has put one out. They are the Utah-based manufacturer of silencers/suppressors for rifles, pistols, AND shotguns.
SilencerCo has always put a lot of effort into educating people on the legality, history, and usage of silencers. This infographic is their latest effort. Interestingly enough, it has caught the attention of the business press. BusinessInsider ran a story featuring the infographic below on Monday. Unlike most stuff you see in the media, it was accurate and non anti-silencer.
As someone who has a hearing related problem – tinnitus – due to shooting without hearing protection earlier in life, I really wish silencers and suppressors were not NFA items. At most, they should be listed as AOW or any other weapon and have a $5 transfer fee. The reality is that hearing loss is a public health issue and silencers, despite all the myth and legend about them coming out of Hollywood, are a hearing safety device.
In either Finland or Sweden you can buy them in the hardware store… And they're considered 'good form' to hunt with one… sigh
Frankly, the entire NFA process is outdated/outmoded/obsolete.
Mufflers really shouldn't be regulated; When it comes to cars, baffled noise suppressors are practically mandated, but when it comes to firearms they are all but prohibited. How does this make sense?
SBR/SBS/AOW largely stemmed from the idea of making "concealable" firearms impractical to own; Since handguns are title I firearms available over the counter in practically every gun store in the country, I fail to see how the government can rightly justify restricting access to firearms that are far less "concealable." Fort all intents and purposes, the restrictions on the firearms described by these three arbitrary definitions have been entirely moot since the regulation of handguns was removed from the NFA before congress sent it to FDR.
Really, that just leaves DD/MG…. The bore diameter restrictions of the former make it far too easy for the BATFE to effectively outlaw firearms, especially shotguns, by nothing more than bureaucratic fiat. As for machineguns, the abject unconstitutionality of 922(o) should be blindingly obvious.
Ultimately, I'd like to see federal law changed to remove gun mufflers from the purview of federal regulation entirely, shift SBR/SBS/AOW to Title I status, completely strike 922(o), completely strike the requirement to ask specific permission to cross state lines with Title II firearms (the approved tax stamp should be sufficient), redefine "transfer" to mean a change in ownership and not simple possession, and allow background check/tax payment for Title II firearms be be done via an FFL using NICS or a NICS-like system.
-HSR47