Texas continues to lead the way in gun silencer sales

[douglas9]

Glen Furtardo knows a good buy when he sees one.

He says that's why he has several silencers in his gun collection. "They don't lose value," said Furtardo, manager at the Winchester Gallery gun store in east Fort Worth. "It's a good investment."

He's not alone in thinking that.

Nationwide, more than 22,000 of these noise suppressors were sold this year -- 9 percent more than last year -- and the most were sold in Texas for at least the third year in a row, according to statistics released by the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

In Texas, 3,621 silencers were sold in fiscal 2010, ahead of 2,053 in Florida and 1,153 in Georgia, the data show.

http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/12/02/2676281/texas-continues-to-lead-the-way.html

[Taverner]

1. Are they legal?

I thought they were illegal to carry for obvious reasons

[slackmaster]

3. Yes, they are legal but heavily regulated under the National Firearms Act of 1934

Buying one requires some federal paperwork, a background check, and a $200 transfer tax.

I thought they were illegal to carry for obvious reasons

There is no federal restriction against carrying them, but states may or may not allow them to be carried with concealed weapons.

[Taverner]

6. The obvious reason being, cops might not always get called in time

If someone is shot with a silencer

I mean , come on, I'm all for guns. Hell, I think Machine Guns should be legal, but silencers? What's next? Your own personal drone?

[LiberalFighter]

8. Hmmm... a personal drone might be good.

I wonder what applications I could use it for?

Keep track of certain Republicans in the county.

[Taverner]

12. I know what I'd use one for...but I can't say

[LiberalFighter]

19. Does it involve checking the anal cavaties of Republicans?

[slackmaster]

9. Machine guns are also legal, and heavily regulated under the NFA

Also subject to stricter laws passed by individual states.

What's next? Your own personal drone?

There's no law against someone owning a drone aircraft. The places and manner in which they may be flown are controlled.

[Taverner]

14. By that logic, Pot is also legal. You just need the right stamp

[slackmaster]

17. You can actually get the stamp for a machine gun or a sound suppressor

...after fulfilling a set of objective requirements, in most states.

[Taverner]

21. What is up with all these stamps?

To hunt duck, you need a duck stamp

I've always wondered if they really have contests for painting the duck stamp like in 'Fargo'

[slackmaster]

23. Every bottle of liquor sold in the USA used to have a tax stamp on the cap

Even the little "airplane" bottles.

It's just an old-fashioned way of providing proof that a fee or tax was paid.

[petronius]

27. There really is a duck stamp competition every year (in case you weren't kidding)

http://www.fws.gov/duckstamps/federal/federal.htm

The stamps are quite attractive...

[Taverner]

33. No - I wasn't kidding and Yes, that's pretty cool

Being a non-duck hunter I wouldn't know this

Nothing against it, its just not in my particular bag of skills

I have no idea how to curl, either :)

[NuclearDem]

20. If we can get our own personal drones, can I get my own AC-130 gunship?

"You are not authorized to level the Walmart. Do not fire directly on the Walmart."

[X_Digger]

28. 'silencer' is a misnomer, thanks to hollywood myth..

There's no 'phfut..phfut..phfut..' device. Rather it stops the sharp 'crack' in most cases. You still need to wear ear protection with a suppressor.

[okieinpain]

15. that's what i thought, why would anyone need a silencer. n/t.

[derby378]

18. In Finland, it is illegal to hunt WITHOUT a silencer

The Finns treat gunshot-induced hearing loss as a serious public health issue. You want to hunt, you protect your hearing by using a silencer. No permit required, although you'll probably need a permit for the rifle itself.

[slackmaster]

2. Sound suppressors should be made available in all states

The background check and $200 tax required to buy one, and the registration, are more than sufficient to prevent lawfully owned ones from being sold to criminals or misused.

When properly used, suppressors reduce the risk of hearing loss and protect neighbors from the noise of gunfire at shooting ranges.

Sound suppressors are not regulated in the UK. Anybody can buy one. In some European countries they are required at certain locations.

[ileus]

5. I'm considering getting one for my 6.8 upper.

But it'll be a couple of years.....

They're super nice when you can make your 5.56 sound like a 22.

Maybe I should get one for one of my AR's instead. More gun owners should take advantage of this option, it makes a trip to the range much more fun.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[slackmaster]

11. How did that CCW class you said you were going to take back in September go?

:nuke:

Do you have any evidence of lawfully owned sound suppressors being sold to criminals, or is the purpose of your post just to insult me?

Do you know that sound suppressors sold in the USA are serialized, and that the serial numbers and owners of all legal suppressors are tracked by the BATFE?

[Paladin]

25. As If Legal Sound-Suppressing Devices Haven't Been Available For Years

Not nearly as sexy as silencers, true enough, said devices just fit in or over your ears; every shooting range in the country sells them. Come on, Slack---the only reason you and your fellow DU Gun Enthusiasts want silencers is that they fit in with your collections of military/law enforcement/street gang firearms. Just a juicy little addition to some really unsavory fantasy lives, on livid, daily parade down in the Guns forum.......

[X_Digger]

29. "military / law enforcement / street gang firearms" ??

Your meme, the 90's want it back.

Most military and police I know have never seen a suppressor outside of their armory shelves, and none have ever actually used one.

"Street gangs"?? Sorry, had to stop in my reply for a while to chuckle. Roving bands of street gangs are going 'pfhut.. pfhut.. pfhut..' while assassinating each other, eh? *snort*

[Paladin]

31. Get Back To Me With Something Coherent, OK? (n/t)

[X_Digger]

32. Are shooters in Finland, UK, Germany..

looking for "a juicy little addition to some really unsavory fantasy lives"??

(Hint, they're sold over the counter there.)

UK:
http://jacksonrifles.com/zz-silencers/index.htm

http://www.thegunshop.co.uk/muzzle_adapters_caps.htm

Finland:
http://www.ouluntyostokeskus.com/22

http://guns.connect.fi/rs/assaultr.html

...

eta: Any accounts of 'street gangs' using supressors? (Outside of hollywood films, that is..)


Rock on, culture warrior, I'm sure someone will listen.

[Paladin]

34. Whatever You Say, Mr. Pfhut Pfhut........ (n/t)

[X_Digger]

35. So you admit that your hyperbole was unfounded, then?

Can't find any "street gangs" using suppressors?

[NickB79]

4. I'd buy one if they were legal in MN

Throughout most of Europe, you are practically required to use one when shooting or hunting to cut down on noise pollution. They're basically nothing more than a small muffler can; you can build your own if you have a moderate amount of skill with machine working (though it still needs to be registered with the ATF).

[brooklynite]

10. Very considerate of them...

When you shoot a burgler in your house, you don't want to wake up the neighbors...

[X_Digger]

30. It still would..

In some calibers, you go from 160+ db to 140 db (decibels being logarithmic). 120db is the front row at a rock concert, so your neighbors would hear it.

Supressors also can decrease some of the lower frequency sounds- if the bullet is supersonic, though, nothing will decrease the mini-sonic boom that it creates.

Hollywood loves to pump the trope that supressors go 'pfhut..pfhut..pfhut..' - they don't.

[Ginto]

13. These are great.

Nothing like shooting with a suppressor. Makes shooting actually enjoyable and not deafening.

[scrinmaster]

16. I love mine.

I got a .22lr suppressor right when I turned 21, it's great for introducing new shooters who are sensitive to noise.

[Fla_Democrat]

22. People still buy those?

Huh, go figure.





:smoke:

[dkofos]

24. Contrary to popular belief, we like to kill quietly.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

26. I have a number of silencers (or noise suppressors)

It's just that they don't fit on guns.

I have one silencer on each car, two on the motorcycle. Another on the lawnmower.

I wish they were so commonly available for guns. It would make the shooting range a more pleasant place. Oh, well, I'll just continue using the noise-suppressing earmuffs.

:hi: