ok, it's a dumb question, but why are gun supressors illegal?

Great Debates
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MC: have you not been listening to anything we have posted here? “High-powered” hunting rifles use SUPER-sonic ammo. “Silencers” do not good what-so-ever on such weapons. The supersonic “crack’ of the bullet will be so loud as to make any 'silencing” entirely moot. Now, they have FLASH supressors, which also cut down on the muzzle-blast a lot, inlcuding the recoil, and (a little) the sound. Those are also legal. And if these are so spiffy, why don’t the Olympic shooters use them?

Now, when you are shooting rabbits or such with subsonic .22s, or airguns, “supressors/silencers” can be useful.

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Joe_Cool: I certainly respect your point of view as well, I might even be convinced that you’re right someday. What I wanted to point out was what appeared to be a flaw in your reasoning - fighting ignorance and all that jazz. BTW: Except for carrying firearms, I too, enjoy the rights you mentioned (sure, go technical on me about the police searches) - including right-hand driving with no speed limit :slight_smile:

Demise: I never doubted that I was an idiot to stick my neck out on this particular subject. Britain’s crime rate is high, no doubt about it. What can I say, except that Britain isn’t all of Europe ? Again, I was just trying to point out a flawed argument.

ExTank: I think we agreed on the cultural angle the last time I was silly enough to post on this subject. We’re still in agreement there. Depressingly enough, it looks like American politicians (like ours) like passing laws for the “reelection value”, instead of figuring out what laws would actually have an effect.

To all: I have no wish to tell you what laws should or shouldn’t be passed in the US. What gets straight up my nose is the assumption that having guns under government control is automatically inferior and irreversibly leads to higher crime rates.

S. Norman

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      • The purpose of using a suppressor on a high-powered rifle isn’t to create an arm that the target can’t hear. It’s to produce a gun that is easier on the shooter’s hearing, which is the reason I said that I wanted one. Controlling the muzzle blast (which is what silencers are for) can control most of this noise; the person firing the rifle cannot directly hear the bullet crack at all. - I didn’t bother with any links, but if you search you’ll find that there are numerous suppressor manufacturers on the web who produce suppressors for most every type of centerfire rifle caliber used anywhere in the world, up to and including .50 BMG.
      • A flash suppressor isn’t quite the same as a muzzle brake, and both tend to make the gun sound louder to the shooter, not quieter. To cut down on the sound a bit you need a plenum brake, which is something else entirely. - The firearms for Olympic use are highly regulated. (Olympic air rifles and air pistols can use muzzle brakes but only air pistols do so; most current air rifles use recessed barrels that do not benefit from muzzle brakes) The Olympic comittee makes the rules, go ask them. - MC