Federal Suppressor, Gun-Making Kit Bans Introduced

Sen. Bob Menendez introduced a bill four days ago which would ban the import, sale, manufacture, transfer, and possession of suppressors illegal in the U.S. Menendez's call comes on the heels of the Virginia Beach shooting, in which the shooter used a suppressed handgun to kill 12 people.

Menendez's call is certainly reactionary to a single case of gun violence. Menendez commented on his reasoning behind the ban, stating, "The sound of gunshots is what tells you that your life is in danger, and that it's time to run, hide, take cover, call the police and help others save themselves." The issue with Menendez's statement is his uninformed implication that suppressors somehow provide a distinct advantage to a shooter or criminal.

Suppressors do not reduce the sound of gunfire enough to eliminate the report of a shot being fired. In fact, most suppressors don't even reduce the volume of gunfire enough to mask what the sound is. The Virginia Beach shooter used a .45-caliber pistol, which produces a volume of around 157 decibels. That's louder than a jet engine at takeoff. Using a suppressor reduces the volume to 127 decibels -- that's still louder than a live rock concert.

The ATF also reported that approximately 1.3 million suppressors were registered to U.S. gun owners in 2017. Of those, just 44 suppressor-related crimes were reported the same year. That's a crime rate of just 0.003%. ATF Associate Deputy Director Ronald Turk even argued that suppressors should be deregulated, citing their incredibly low use in crime. Hunters and shooters use suppressors to reduce the risk of hearing loss. The process for legally purchasing a suppressor requires an in-depth background check, including fingerprinting and extensive paperwork that must be filed with your local law enforcement agency and the ATF. Given the data

As far as I have been able to discover, there is no proof that it was a real suppressor; I’ve read that it was one of the fakes that you can buy online easily, just a tube. (Although why someone intent on mischief would want to double the size of what he was waving around for no sound reduction is beyond me) And even if it WAS a real, I’ve yet to hear if it was a legal one, , the federal and local investigations done, and the tax/license fee paid, or one the guy made himself.

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Source: Freerepublic.com

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