Gun silencer facts

In response to the ill informed person decrying the “unregulated use of silencers on guns”, I would like to replace some of his disinformation with actual facts.

The Hearing Protection Act of 2017 does not allow “unregulated use of silencers” nor does it do anything of the sort. A “gun silencer” does not make it impossible for people to hear a firearm, especially a cartridge that exceeds the speed of sound. Nor does it make it impossible for people to hear and respond to gunfire.

It does reduce the level of noise from recreational shooting so that neighbors can stop complaining about the property they bought next to a legal gun club. A suppressor can be legally purchased now, tens of thousands are sold annually with none being used in crime. It would actually make a firearm harder to conceal.

This act makes a suppressor (this is the correct term for a “gun silencer”) a class 1 firearm. This means it is purchased like a typical firearm, regulated fully by the BATFE, a buyer must pass a background check and every other requirement for the purchase of a firearm. It simply eliminates the $200 federal tax on the purchase.

Eric Schaffer

Ione, Washington