What's Stopping You From Buying a Silencer?

T

Theohazard

New member
You see it all the time in other parts of these forums: "Help, I want to shoot on my own land, but it's bothering the neighbors!" There will be many different responses on how to deal with the situation, but very few people will suggest getting a suppressor, and those that do are mostly ignored.

Which brings me to this question: What's stopping so many people from buying a silencer? I've seen many people shoot a silencer for the first time, and the reactions ranged from calm pleasure to outright giddiness. People who buy their first one quickly find out how practical they are and almost always end up buying more.

Sure, they're about the same price as the firearm they attach to, and the wait for paperwork approval is fairly long, but I think the main reason more people don't own them is because they don't realize how easy it is. Most of the reactions I get are, "I thought silencers were illegal?" Or, "Don't you need a Class Three license to own one?" Once they find out how the process works they often end up buying one.
 
I'm a huge fan of suppressors and suppressed firearms. Unfortunately the laws in my state will NOT let me buy one, otherwise I'd have multiple firearms, every one of them threaded for a suppressor.

People seem to love what muzzle brakes do. What if you could have 80% of the recoil reduction of a muzzle brake while also reducing sound dramatically as well as muzzle flash? Yeah, I'm a bit curious as to why more people don't own suppressors, for that reason. Especially for HD where, fast follow up shots are needed and night time muzzle flash and sound could literally be blinding and overbearing to the point that accuracy is lost dramatically, where a suppressed gun will not have those problems.

My dream is to have a .338 whisper, compact semi auto with a large integrated suppressor, much like the VSS (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VSS_Vintorez) except chambered in .338Whisper as opposed to 9x39. Both are capable of shooting 300 grain projectiles, the .338 will have higher sectional density and BC though.
 
Well, I guess my own ignorance of MA law regarding them. Read about them, was interested in them and figured it will probably such a pain the ***, kinda forgot about it. I will have check out the laws on em.
 
Costs, hassle, risk of being in violation somehow by accident, being on more lists than I'm already on. I'm against registration in general, so not eager to have one more serious thing to keep track of. Life is complicated enough, without the risk of an inadvertent violation.

I've also been hopeful that the rules for NFA change and get rid of the registration issues for the silencers. I would have many of them if it was as easy as just purchasing the can.

I've been on the fence for some time and may, ultimately, pull the trigger.
 
tomrkba said:
Government registration.
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That's a valid concern, but with the amount our government already knows about everything we do, having my silencers registered with the BATFE hardly adds too much more. I'm not saying I agree with it, but it is what it is and I don't let it stop me from taking advantage of legal silencer ownership.

leadcouncel said:
Costs
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Most silencers cost about the same or less than the firearms they're designed to suppress. Add in the $200 transfer tax and that means they're just a little bit more on average. But keep in mind that most silencers can be used for many different firearms. So with just two or three silencers a person could suppress almost any firearm they every bought.

leadcouncel said:
hassle
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A decent FFL/SOT will make buying a silencer easy. After all, making it easy is good for business.

leadcouncel said:
risk of being in violation somehow by accident
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It's not hard to follow the law when you own a silencer; keep it locked up when you're not using it, if anyone else uses it make sure you're with them, and keep a copy of your tax stamp with you at all times. In most states it's legal to shoot a silencer any place it's legal to shoot a firearm, and in many states they're even legal for hunting.
 
I don't really want one. Gun noise is ok where I shoot and I protect myself.

Costs: adds $200 and time to purchase.

POI change: my understanding is POI changes between suppressed or not.

Holsters: pistols won't fit in standard holsters after suppressing them with or without the suppressor.

NFA hassles.

Limited appeal makes them way overpriced.
 
I shot somebody else's suppressed Walter p22 when I was at my club, and I liked it a lot...I could definitely see getting a 22 suppressor and using it on my Ruger SR22 and 10/22.
But, the whole process daunts me. The huge time lag, the paperwork, the LEO sign off. Then the extra cash for threaded barrels...
I doubt I will ever pursue it.
 
1. I'd rather not have to deal with a Trust.
2. CLEO won't sign off so I would have to do the trust.
3. BATFE wait times
3. Expense
4. They have little to no appreciation and used ones are hard to sell - bad investment.
4. Makes pistol way too muzzle heavy
5. What would I use it for?
6. A screw-on device that attaches to the muzzle of a pistol to quite the report seems antiquated and unnecessary. It makes the firearms practically useless. If a new type of firearm (9mm or more powerful) were to be developed that is somehow integrally suppressed with a more even weight distribution that can actually be carried (even if it is still a full-sized gun), I'd do the trust and spend whatever money I needed to to have one.
 
The only thing that stops me is money.

I want a .308 can. I want a .45 pistol can. I can't afford either.

I am very happy with the cans I have.

The process of getting a signature, prints, forms, $200 on top of the price of the can stops just about everyone I know from buying one. It is just enough hassle to stop people from going through with it.
 
For all intents and purposes, they are illegal in NY. The only way around it is to be a licensed manufacturer. Waaaay too much hassle/trouble. If I lived where they were easy to get, I'd get one.
 
For the vast majority of people living in places where they are legal, I'd imagine they think it's harder to obtain one than it is. Either that or they don't possess the patience required.
 
I'll add that when I look at my filing cabinets full of 'easy' applications, forms, licenses, and things to keep track of, I don't need anything more to scan, save, file, etc.

I've been through a bunch of moves in the last few years. What a hassle.

It takes at least a few days to notify everyone you need to, turn off and on utilities, etc. I don't need yet another agency to have to correspond with, particularly one that can ruin your life like the ATF.

I sorta wish I had never gotten a C&R for this reason. Yes, it is a hassle to have to notify them when I move, and I've changed my address no fewer than 5 times in 8 years.

Each move consumes days of pure administrative hassle with all of the lists and forms etc. that are required.
 
Money. So I make my own instead. The tax stamp wait time is the main reason I only have a few right now.

lark
 
I know it's all about supply vs demand...but I can't bring myself to buy one simply because I believe they're way overpriced. Maybe if they were easier to purchase and more people were buying them the price would come down. I have a 1911 with a threaded barrel and I would really love to have one...but I simply can't spend more than the gun cost to get one.
 
Silencers are so expensive for several reasons, here are the main ones:

1) It's a much smaller market compared to firearms.

2) The manufacturers, distributors, and dealers need to deal with a huge amount of regulation, much more than with normal firearms.

3) Because of the transfer tax and the registration involved (along with the fact that there is virtually no market for used suppressors), people want the latest and best design that will last as long as possible. Therefore, there has been a tremendous amount of research and development at the leading silencer companies over the last few decades.

For less than $1,000 out-the-door, you can buy one silencer that will last your whole life and suppress almost every popular handgun round in existence, and some rifle rounds too. That's not a bad deal in my opinion.
 
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