There has been some attention to the killer's reported use of a suppressor. The use of suppressors in criminal acts is very rare in the United States, and in the world.
The shooter used two .45 caliber handguns. Reportedly, one of them had a suppressor.
Later in the nymag article, it is noted the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, more correctly, BATFE), reported the pistols used in the attack were obtained legally.
SNIP
Details of the suppressor have not been released. There are numerous fake suppressors on the market, and it is difficult, without testing, to know if something that looks like a suppressor actually has any significant effect on lowering the decibel level of the firearm it is attached to. The BATFE has reported the shooter legally purchased the two .45 caliber handguns used in the attack. A legal suppressor would have a serial number and a model.
It is interesting the BATFE has not been able to report if the suppressor was legally acquired.
A legal suppressor would have required a background check, fingerprints, and a waiting time of months, as required by the federal level regulations of the National Firearms Act (NFA).
BATFE records for NFA items are notoriously unreliable, but
it boggles the imagination that they could not determine the legal status of a suppressor, in the hands of authorities, in two days. At a minimum, you would think the shooter's name and address would be readily available in the BATFE NFA records.
There have been previous mass shooting situations where the shooter was reported to be wearing body armor, which later turned out to be simple magazine carriers. Future reporting should reveal details on whether the suppressor was real or fake, legal or illegal.
Suppressors are not difficult to make. The shooter was an engineer. I know people who have made their own suppressors outside of U.S. jurisdiction. It is not rocket science. One was an illiterate Panamanian. The other was a U.S. military member.
Societies where suppressors are sold over the counter without any paperwork, for cash, such as New Zealand, have not reported any significant level of criminals using suppressors.