Suppressor facts reading list

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AlanM
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Location: Was Stow, OH now Charlottesville, VA

Suppressor facts reading list

Post by AlanM »

Strange thoughts bubble up in my head all the time. Usually causing me to do a mini research project.
Today's thought of the day was, "How many times have "silencers" been documented as being used in crimes and what are the benefits of using them?"

Here's my list so far:
A Democrat's guide to why firearm sound suppressors ("silencers") should be made easier to obtain. Monday Nov 05, 2007
The author stresses that suppressors are hearing protection devices.

Why are gun silencers not used extensively among criminals?
Not really "silent", expensive, big, therefore can't be hidden. Require prior installation, this is, not a spur of the moment thing.

Benefits of Using Suppressors for Hunting and Shooting Sports
pdf from National Shooting Sports Foundation®

Criminal Use of Firearm Silencers Western Criminology Review 8(2), 44–57 (2007)
pdf of scholarly paper. Data covers 1995-2005. Verbose, but had some good information and stats.


THE OTHER SIDE:

Firearm Silencers Threaten Public Safety, New VPC Study Finds
And, of course, the other view point. Pick a desired outcome and do research to prove that point.
Six incidents 2011 through 2016.

Gunmakers and the NRA Bet Big on Silencers. What Could Go Wrong? Mother Jones MAR. 19, 2013
AlanM
There are no dangerous weapons; there are only dangerous men. - RAH
Four boxes to be used in defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo - use in that order.
If you aren't part of the solution, then you obviously weren't properly dissolved.
M-Quigley
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Joined: Wed Jun 24, 2015 10:06 pm
Location: Western Ohio

Re: Suppressor facts reading list

Post by M-Quigley »

In the six incidents the VPC lists, they admit some of those (they won't say which ones) were illegal to begin with, so the law obviously isn't working to stop some murderers from murdering people with them. (which the last time I checked had a higher penalty than possession of a silencer without a tax stamp.)
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Bruenor
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Location: Geneva, OH

Re: Suppressor facts reading list

Post by Bruenor »

In fact, the number of legally registered silencers in the United States has nearly tripled since 2010: from 285,087 that year to 792,282 in 2015.
I'm curious what that number will be when the dust settles from the recent changes to nfa trusts.. I know several people that purchased multiple suppressors or filed multiple Form 1's for manufacturing suppressors of their own before the new rules went into effect. Extrapolate that out to other people with NFA trusts, and I would bet that was a lot of sales in a relatively short time.


I also wonder how many of the six incidents in the VPC 'report' were legally purchased suppressors with accompanying paperwork and LEO signoff.
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"Arms discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property. . . Horrid mischief would ensue were the law-abiding deprived of the use of them."

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