That’s the first thing I thought of. God forbid the noise should be heard outside the library so that someone not under siege could call the police.
And why not? What is it about libraries that you believe creates a Second Amendment exclusion zone?
Is it because all the books and stuff used up so much First Amendment that there’s just no room for the rest of the Bill of Rights?
If so, then I suggest the Third Amendment should be the one to get short shrift.
For those who are sneering at the health and safety issue, I want to follow up on this point.
A jet engine at 100 feet is “only” 140 dB.
I saw one article on this that mentioned OSHA. If OSHA had been around in 1934, the law, rather than semi-banning silencers, probably would have required their use.
http://www.hearnet.com/at_risk/risk_trivia.shtml
https://www.chem.purdue.edu/chemsafety/Training/PPETrain/dblevels.htm
In short, the sound of a gunshot is louder than virtually anything else in the world.
When I was young and inexperienced with guns, I tried using one once without hearing protection. One shot made my right ear ring. It was the loudest thing I ever heard in my life – and I once witnessed a lightning strike just a few yards from my house.
Actually, hunting rifles are really loud for the shooter, so I respect what he’s saying, but that’s why you’re supposed to wear over-the-ear protection.
As I understand it, a silencer that slows the round hurts your accuracy and penetration.
Note that a few rifles, like the Sig Sauer MCX, actually have built-in mufflers. That’s not the word, but that’s what they are. I guess the special forces guys who contributed to the design of the MCX found that useful for firing in enclosed areas, like an Orlando nightclub.
This doesn’t appear to be true. Velocity of escaping gases decreases, but the bullet is not typically affected (one example with actual data). Some designs may intentionally decrease it, but they aren’t the “common” type. And you can of course use subsonic ammo, but you don’t need a silencer to do that.
It’s still a very persistent belief among shooters and in video games and other things.
If you mean on the muzzle, there doesn’t appear to be any standard device, though some of the models look like they have flash hiders. These affect the visible effects of firing, but not the sound. Either that or a muzzle break, which can actually increase the volume.
And really!?
Too soon?