How Do Silencers Work?

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.

SB 53 – Just One Of A Number Of Anti-Gun Bills In California

Gun rights supporters in California have their hands full with all the misguided, stupid, and ineffective bills coming out the California Assembly and Senate that impact them. One of these bills is SB 53 from Sen. Kevin DeLeon (D-Los Angeles). The bill would ban on-line sales of ammo, create a registry of ammo sellers and purchasers, and require another license for gun owners.

Will it stop gangs from obtaining ammo for their guns? Of course not but that really wasn’t the point anyway.

The Firearms Policy Coalition has created a very good infographic illustrating just what the bill would do if passed. Unfortunately, it is almost out of the legislature and heading for Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk.

The FPC has created an easy way to state your opposition to this bill. You don’t even need to live in California to send an email. Just go here and you can tell every legislator in California what you think of this bill.

If you want to see other bad bills from California, just go here. Another of Kevin DeLeon’s bills would outlaw “ghost guns”. In other words, any firearm without a serial number such as your collectible .22 LR rifle from before 1968 like my Remington 511 Scoremaster.

An Infographic That Illustrates The Anti’s Endgame In California

The CalGuns Foundation has released the infographic below that show the end result of the Handgun Roster and the microstamping requirement in California. The end result is no handguns available which would please the gun prohibitionists no end. Moreover, they will say they didn’t outlaw these guns but merely demanded that they be safe. It is the “fault” they will say of a firearms industry that didn’t care about either their customer’s safety or of being able to “assist” police supposedly solve crimes through microstamps.

CalGuns has put together an abbreviated history of the Handgun Roster as well as the microstamping requirement. For even more info on the Roster, go here.

1/1/2001: CA laws (SB 15 – 2000) creating a Roster of “not unsafe” handguns certified for sale are enforced.


1/1/2006: CA law (SB 489 – 2003) requiring loaded chamber indicator or magazine disconnect for all new semi-automatic centerfire handguns added to Roster is enforced; CA law (SB 489 – 2003) requiring magazine disconnect for all new rimfire semi-handguns added to Roster enforced.


1/1/2007: CA law (SB 489 – 2003) requiring both loaded chamber indicator and magazine disconnect for all new semi-automatic centerfire handguns added to Roster enforced.


4/30/2009: During a short period of time in which the United States Constitution’s Second Amendment applied to states and local governments within the federal Ninth Circuit through a case called Nordyke v. King, The Calguns Foundation and 5 other plaintiffs — including the Second Amendment Foundation — filed a federal civil rights lawsuit called Peña v. Cid (now Peña v. Lindley) against the California Department of Justice that challenged the constitutionality of the state’s “Handgun Roster” laws. The Peña case, helmed by civil rights attorneys Alan Gura, Donald Kilmer, and Jason Davis, was argued at the trial court on December 17, 2013, on cross motions for summary judgment and is currently pending decision.


5/17/2013: CA law (AB 1471 – 2008) requiring “microstamping” for all semi-automatic handguns to be added to Roster enforced by CA Attorney General Kamala Harris (CA DOJ).

It also appears that Ruger is sick and tired of kowtowing to the California rules and will let their semi-auto pistols drop off the California Handgun Roster. Given that a significant portion of Ruger’s sales growth comes from new introductions and given that new pistols must be microstamped under California law, I frankly don’t blame Ruger. I see it as a reasonable business decision on their part.

From C. D. Michel’s CalGunLaws.Com:

In perhaps one of the more shocking discoveries at the 2014 SHOT Show, Ruger spokesperson Kevin Reid revealed that Ruger was going to let it’s entire California Semiautomatic pistol roster “…drop off…” the CA Department of Justice Approved Handgun List.

It seems that in Ruger’s slavish dedication to the concept of “continuous improvement”, and that California is milking some $ 200 per pistol per year to stay on the list AND that microstamping is now the rule, Ruger has already let some 60+ semiautomatic pistols drop off the approved handgun roster with the rest shortly to follow. (Note to the legal beagles out there: NSSF Governmental Relations/State Affairs Director Jake McGuigan did announce at an early morning seminar that NSSF had filed suit on or around January 9 regarding the microstamping issue in California.).

How this effects Ruger Sales of revolvers and rifles in the Fool’s Paradise of Kalifornia remains to be seen. While Ruger continues to produce excellent revolvers, California gun owners are notorious for voting with their feet against businesses that desert them when the chips are down. Hopefully this won’t too badly effect the roll-out of the latest GP-100.

How Big Is The SHOT Show?

According to the infographic from the National Shooting Sports Foundation shown below, pretty damn big!

Many years ago I worked for a local knife company that had a small booth at the SHOT Show. As a result, I got to attend the 1996 SHOT Show held in Dallas, Texas. I was awed by the size of it all back then when it was just a shadow of what it has become. With luck and good scheduling, I plan to attend next year’s SHOT Show and I’m sure I’ll just be blown away by it all.

How Big is the SHOT Show

Explore more infographics like this one on the web’s largest information design community – Visually.

Know Your Knife Laws

In an era where virtually everything is a crime, it is important to know the law. This is especially true with regard to knife laws which vary tremendously. They not only vary state to state but from municipality to municipality as there are few state preemption laws with regard to knifes.

The infographic below from Knifeup.com is a good start and presents the info in an easily understood form. I’d also suggest becoming a member of Knife Rights as they are taking the fight for knife rights to both the court house and the state house.

One example of how fast knife laws are changing is the info below on which states make automatic or switchblade knives illegal. It lists both Kansas and Missouri as prohibiting them. Thanks to Knife Rights, this was recently changed and they are now legal there.

Infographic removed due to inaccuracies.

If you’d still like to see it, go to KnifeUp.com. See comments below as to some of the inaccuracies. Alternatively, go to Liston’s website here.

H/T Liston Matthews of Good Hill Press