Last year, Michael Bloomberg’s Everytown for Gun Safety trumpeted the launch of The Smoking Gun, a site they described as a “first-of-its-kind online hub dedicated to holding the gun industry accountable.” Accountable for what really isn’t clear but that always seemed strange to us because the creation of The Smoking Gun seems to ignore the existence of Bloomberg’s long-standing anti-gun agitprop generation operation known as The Trace.
Whatever. It’s all just pocket change to one of America’s richest men.
What’s interesting isn’t how the diminutive former mayor chooses to spend his cash, but what The Smoking Gun is getting exercised about these days. It seems they’ve finally noticed that — GASP! — suppressors are popular. And getting more so.
A recent post by Greg Lickenbrock highlights the “troubling surge” in suppressor sales in the last few years. It seems that . . .
Americans purchased and registered over 830,000 new silencers between May 2021 and January 2024, bringing the total number of registered silencers to 3.5 million.2 This 31-percent increase is particularly alarming given that it occurred in just 32 months — compared to the 87 years it took for Americans to stockpile 2.7 million silencers between 1934 and 2021.
Oh dear. That’s just...terrible. Imagine people jumping through the regulatory hoops and paying the exorbitant tax to make their firearms less dangerous and damaging to themselves and others nearby. How dare they?
Lickenbrock fingers two primary reasons for the increase in suppressor sales. First, there’s the introduction of ATF’s eForm system that, thanks to a lot of effort by can makers and the American Suppressor Association. All of that work has reduced the average wait time for approval from six to nine months down to less than a week.
The other factor fingered by Lickebrock is efficiency. Work by retailers to make the buying and approval process and smooth and painless as possible.
For example, retailers today will prepare NFA applications for customers and set up “NFA trusts,” making it easier for multiple people to own silencers. In addition to offering financing, Silencer Central will mail customers fingerprinting kits and, once they’re approved, ship silencers to their front doors — all so customers never have to set foot in a brick-and-mortar store. For its part, the Silencer Shop has placed kiosks in gun stores across the country to collect personal information and fingerprints.
How nefarious of them. Imagine the gall of highly regulated sellers doing everything they can to make it easier for their customers to buy their legal products. Is there no level to which they won’t stoop?
Meanwhile, we’re sure that Lickenbrock and his bosses at Everytown will remain very troubled about the continuing increase in Americans buying suppressors — items people in other countries can actually buy over the counter. While their brows will almost certainly remain furrowed, we hope they don’t lose too much sleep over the prospect of Americans protecting their hearing and disturbing their neighbors less often, as horrifying as that prospect must be.
Firearms owners, the industry and websites like this one. anyone who doesn’t believe the enemy isn’t reading everything they can about the who, what and where of gun culture is only fooling themselves. Sun Tzu said Know the enemy and know yourself in a hundred battles you will never be in peril. When you are ignorant of the enemy but know yourself, your chances of winning or losing are equal. If ignorant both of your enemy and of yourself, you are certain in every battle to be in peril.
Still looking for a rationale for WHY “silencers” were ever regulated in the first place. Anyone who has ever been around any silenced weapon (even a silenced Ruger 10/22) knows that . . . it ain’t “silent”. Sure, the report of the cartridge is reduced, and diffused. But, even with my ancient ears, I can hear a silenced .22 report for at least 100′, if not more. On the other hand, whatever caliber you are shooting, there is no denying that (1) the immediate report is REDUCED (allowing a little less impact on the ears of the shooter and those around him/her), and (ii) the sound of even a .22 being fired does damage to the unprotected ears of the shooter.
It is a very simple analysis: On the one hand, sure, it does make it a little easier for a criminal, sniper, assassin, etc. to reduce the “aural presence” of their discharge, and even make it (slightly) harder to pinpoint. No argument, BUT . . . so what? Either you did what you needed with that first shot (in which case it doesn’t matter), or you need a second shot . . . but your first shot already alerted (even with a can) everyone in the vicinity that a gun was fired.
For the second half of the analysis: EVERY shooter is subjected to hearing damage EVERY time they fire a gun. On a range, I can (and always do) wear earpro . . . but what’s wrong with more? If I’m hunting? Hey, I NEED those ears hearing everything they can. I suppose it is theoretically possible to hunt with earpro on, but I already have enough handicaps. If I can install a suppressor on my hunting rifle, I can hear my environment and still protect my hearing.
The whole emphasis on “silencers” is absurd. Regulating them is absurd. Heck, I’d like to see (detachable) silencers be standard items on ALL firearms. Why are we even having this discussion??
Because they could. Just like all regulations, good and bad. Why are we having this discussion? Because they were allowed.