There's a Make-Silencers-Easier-To-Come-By bill moving nicely through Congress right now.

[calimary]

Our own Arkansas Granny looked it up:
It's called "The Hearing Protection Act of 2017". Makes it sound nicer. Bill Bratton, former LAPD chief now NBC Senior Analyst, said it'll get passed.

UNLESS WE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT, MAYBE??? (HINT: handy TOLL FREE Capitol Hill Switchboard numbers conveniently located in my sig line below.)

More people DID NOT die in at that Las Vegas country music festival last night ONLY BECAUSE THEY COULD HEAR the rat-tat-tat-tat of the shooter's machine gun.

[gratuitous]

1. Now, now, be fair

They originally had a committee hearing scheduled in June, but that shooter hit the congressional ball game practice, so they postponed the hearing and vote until September. That's a delay of three whole months out of respect for Steven Scalise catching a bullet. What more could anyone possibly want?

[Kaleva]

2. You can buy the components for a suppressor on Amazon.com

And they deliver it to your door.

Your last statement leads me to conclude you get your info about suppressors from movies. A suppressed rifle is as loud as a jackhammer.

[arthritisR_US]

3. Law enforcement chaps were discussing suppressors in the last

1/2 hour and that is not what they said. Their opinions and expertise said quite the opposite to what you're saying.

[Kaleva]

4. You need just two items to make an effective suppressor.

Total cost is about $30.00.

Many people have gone this route and they registered their homemade suppressor with the BATF to avoid serious legal problems which can include prison time. The two items by themselves are perfectly legal for anyone to purchase from Amazon, a hardware store or auto parts store. Put them together on a gun and it's a different story.

There are lots of youtube videos where gunners are showing off this simple, cheap, effective and legally registered suppressor.

[uponit7771]

6. Link and quote, thx ...

[Kaleva]

7. I'm not going to provides links to youtube videos or sites that show how to make a suppressor

Google searching keywords lead me to dozens of videos and websites explaining how to do it.

[uponit7771]

8. Found it and so what? Does make this bill a good one

[arthritisR_US]

9. It was on CNN or MSNBC, I m flipping between the two.

[uponit7771]

10. Looked up the silencer on YT and Clinton is right, the bill is stupid cause one can be built for 30

... bucks doesn't make the bill a good one.

I'm thinking that was the point of the reply post

[arthritisR_US]

11. Stupid bill by stupid people. Silencers are needed like a

fecking hole in the head and that's the opinion of the law enforcement chaps as well. They are not amused or impressed by that stupid bill.

[Kaleva]

15. The point I'm making is that they already are easy and inexpensive to get.

For the criminal. For the law abiding, they have to register it and pay the $200.00 stamp tax.

[Kaleva]

16. Using Hollywood special effects to oppose a bill isn't smart either.

[pwb]

12. Big difference between a suppressor and a silencer.

Did I miss the word suppressor in the o p? A suppressor decreases the flash coming out of the barrel. A silencer makes it much quieter.

[Kaleva]

13. The words are interchangeable but "suppressor" is more correct.

"A suppressor, sound suppressor, sound moderator, or silencer is a device attached to or part of the barrel of a firearm or air gun which reduces the amount of noise and visible muzzle flash generated by firing. "

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suppressor

[Kaleva]

18. A "silencer" also lessens the flash.

A flash suppressor lessens the flash only and only for the shooter. A suppressor, or silencer, lessens both the flash and sound.

[Adrahil]

20. A flash suppressor and sound suppressor are different things.

"Silencer" is a common, but misleading term. They do not "silence" anything. They do suppress the sound somewhat.

I own and use sound suppressors when I shoot, to protect my hearing and the hearing of those around me.

[Marengo]

23. I am a veteran, and you're wrong. Suppressor and silencer are essentially interchangeable,...

Although suppressor is the more technically correct term. What you are describing is a flash suppressor, which is a muzzle device for an entirely different purpose.

[pwb]

29. It appears after much viewing on you tube the term suppressor is what they call a silencer today.

My age often shows in some of my posts. A suppressor I only knew as the end of a weapon that lessened the flash to not give away your firing position at night. Now suppressor means silencer because it makes it sound less deadly for the weapon industry. Change the word to sell more, I get it.

[Marengo]

30. Blame Hiram Maxim I've read. As a strategy he used silencer in his marketing and patent materials...

thereby popularizing the term.

[ggccvvtt]

14. This is correct

A rifle like the .308 will produce around 167dB when shot unsuppressed. Add a suppressor, and you'll bring the level down to the low 130s.

[uponit7771]

5. Some are arguing cause a 22 is not as quite as a serin with a silencer then this bill makes sense !!

[calimary]

19. Text SILENCERS to 64433. US House trying to gut silencer regs this week.

When you get transferred over to a call to your reps, remind him/her that it's part of the "Share" act.

[pwb]

21. Sorry your post was hijacked by this suppressor nonsense.

I understand exactly what your saying. Silencers are even banned by the Geneva convention. At least they were when I was in the army.

[calimary]

22. No problem.

For that hijacker and other sympathizers I would respectfully suggest this strange new thing called headphones... or ear plugs. I've worn 'em to loud concerts and they protect hearing fabulously! Including when you're close up to the origination of the loud noise - as I've been while managing my son's band. Sitting in close quarters handling some of their business while they're rehearsing, it can get as loud as jet noise! But if I have those little ear plugs in, I'm saved!

[Marengo]

24. Are suppressors a problem in countries where they are more readily available, such as Norway?

[briv1016]

25. Actually in most of Europe it is considered rude to hunt without a suppressor.

I'm all for tougher gun laws (particularly background checks) but the suppressor debate is mostly fueled by a Hollywood myth. Makes me wish the Mythbuster would have addressed it before they went off the air.

[syringis]

26. Please don't point the stupidity of my ask...

...I know it is and have zero illusions on how they will behave...

But...but...

Is it really an appropriate moment to pass such bill ? In case there is any appropriate time to such silly bills, which I don't see...

[Marengo]

31. Are you a hunter by chance?

[syringis]

32. No, not at all.

Why?

Does hunters need silencers ?

By the way, I hate any kind of these deadly tools.

[Marengo]

34. As a hunter myself, the use of suppressors in this context makes sense to reduce noise...

Polution and protect the hearing of the shooter. I support the HPA, as do many of my acquaintances who hunt as well.

[aikoaiko]

28. Suppressors for rifle rounds are still very audible st 120-130 decibels

They do not silence rifles.

[ileus]

33. I was looking forward to buying a couple.

If it had actually passed.

[melm00se]

35. as one of a few people here at DU

who has actually owns and used a "silencer" let me give you my take.

1) A silencer (actually the correct term is suppressor) does not make the gun sound like the movies but rather takes a big BANG and makes it a quieter bang or in other words: it changes the report of the gun from being painfully/ear ringing-ly loud to just plain loud.
2) The report can be further ameliorated by using ammunition that does not break the sound barrier and/or smaller caliber rounds.
3) When installed, it generally adds anywhere from 4-8 inches to the overall length of a gun. On a handgun that makes even the most concealable pistol a lot bulkier and extremely difficult to conceal. Your average "bad guy with a gun" is looking for something that will fit in their pocket and tacking another 4-8 inches on the end makes it much much harder to hide.
4) The added length (and weight) throws off the balance of the firearm which (especially for a pistol) makes it much more difficult to be accurate.
5) Personally, the only time I use a suppressed firearm (I own 2 suppressors) is on my .22 target rifle when I shoot at what my club calls "precision rimfire" events where the quieter report is nice when shooting on the line with 5 or 6 other competitors. For my pistol, I find when the suppressor is mounted my pistol is too front heavy for my tastes and my accuracy suffers rather dramatically.