You and your team have less than 6 minutes to enter, grab the hostages, and exit without being seen. You grab your department issued Colt 1911 and prepare for the extraction. One of your best friends (except a couple of extra mags) is your silencer. As you screw that puppy on the business end of this wonderful piece of machinery, you are ready to go!!! Although this example may be a far fetched scenario for those of us that pride ourselves on having a silencer for our favorite past-time, the purpose remains the same: to quiet the discharge of firearm projectiles.
As with most things, the science of sound is changing. That couldn’t be more true as it pertains to firearms. A silencer (or suppressor) is a tool used by shooters to truncate the amount of noise and visible muzzle flash created with discharging a firearm. The wonderful thing about these little puppies is that they not only reduce noise and muzzle flash, but they are also attributed to slightly increasing the speed of bullets. Silencers are available to be added to your favorite firearm platform ranging from Uzi’s to AR’s to pistols. The picture below is a great illustration of how these tools can be used to accessorize our favorite pieces of machinery.
Silencers are constructed of hollow cylinders that are equipped with innards that effectively reduce the noise created by slowing the escaping gasses created from the round being discharged. The most common metals used in making silencers are titanium, steel, and or aluminum. The innards that reduce the flow of escaping gasses are called baffles, and are usually arranged in a number of chambers within the silencer. Although silencers, effectively reduce the noise created by shooting, the noise is NOT eliminated! Lastly, these little puppies can be used for reducing recoil as well. The picture below is a simple sketch of how the internal parts of a silencer may look.
Now to the good part!!! How can you get one?!?!?!? Well….let’s see. The levels of the legality of silencers differs around the world. In more liberal countries such as France and Finland, silencers are as easy to buy as a pair of shoes. In countries such as these, silencers are found to be useful to preserve the hearing of shooters and non shooters alike. In the United States, thanks to the National Firearms Act (passed in 1934), the ownership of silencers is a little more difficult. As a provision of this Act, shooters desirous of owning a silencer must undergo a background check, fill out an ATF form (BATFE), and also pay $200 for a tax stamp. For our wonderful readers in the following states, you will NOT be allowed, whatsoever, to own silencers (too bad so sad!!!): California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Illinois, Delaware, D.C., New York, New Jersey, and Rhode Island.
***If you are unfamiliar with the legal aspect of silencers, the utility of silencers, or just want to learn more about silencers, PSA strongly suggests that you conduct thorough research from a reputable source. If that doesn’t tickle your fancy, we suggest that you find and enroll in a comprehensive firearms safety course that centers on knowledge surrounding silencers.
We want to thank you for taking the time to stop by our lane at the range!! We hope that we were able to hit the target! If you ever have any questions for us please don’t hesitate to shoot them our way!!! We look forward to shooting the breeze with you soon! Please don’t forget to follow us so that you are able to stay up-to-date with PSA news!!
And as always….remember to watch your six and stay low!