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Old October 13, 2013, 05:03 PM   #1
Theohazard
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Common Silencer Myths Debunked

Here are the most common silencer myths I hear on a regular basis:

(1) Silencers are illegal.
Silencers have always been legal in the US ever since they were invented in the early 1900s. However, in 1934 the National Firearms Act required silencers to be registered and levied a $200 tax on every silencer purchase or transfer. On the state level there are a handful of them that ban silencers, but they're legal in most states.

(2) It's not a "silencer", it's a "suppressor".
It's both. Sure, they don't truly silence the firearm, but the original inventor called them "silencers", the BATFE calls them "silencers", most manufacturers refer to them as both "silencers" and "suppressors", and enthusiasts and people in the industry use the terms "suppressor", "can", or "silencer" interchangeably.

(3) Silencers slow the bullet down.
Some older silencer designs used steel wool, leather, or some other material that the bullet passed through. Or the suppressor was built around a barrel that had holes drilled in it to slow the bullet's acceleration and start the suppression process. These designs often negatively affected the bullet's velocity and accuracy. Now, most silencers are detachable and have baffles that never come into contact with the bullet. With most modern suppressors, accuracy is often increased and bullet velocity can be boosted a tiny amount due to the pressure waves inside the silencer.

(4) You need a "Class 3 License" to own a silencer.
You need to register each silencer with the BATFE and receive a tax stamp; there are no licenses involved. You get this tax stamp by first filling out some simple BATFE paperwork. You then get fingerprinted, photographed, and signed off by your chief law enforcement officer (or you can bypass the fingerprint/photograph/sign-off process by purchasing the silencer through a corporation or a revocable living trust). Then your paperwork is sent to the BATFE along with a $200 check for the transfer tax. Then you wait for them to process your paperwork and send it back with the tax stamp affixed. The BATFE is currently taking about 9 months to process this paperwork (and it's going to be even longer now with the government shutdown and some possible pending changes to the trust rules). You need to do this process for each suppressor you buy; each time it's $200 and each time you have to wait for them to process it.

(5) If you own a silencer the BATFE can search your house whenever they want.
The BATFE has your address on file, if they wanted to they could pay you a visit. But normal Fourth Amendment rules still apply; they can only come in your house if you invite them in or if they have a search warrant. But more importantly, they don't make a habit of knocking on people's doors unless they have a good reason; I've never known anyone who has had the BATFE knock on their door just because they own a few NFA items.

(6) You need to use subsonic ammo with a silencer.
Sure, the only way to get close to the Hollywood silencer sound is by using subsonic ammo in order to remove the supersonic crack of the bullet. With most handgun rounds that's just a case of increasing the bullet weight a little bit so the velocity is lower. But if you try to make high-velocity rounds subsonic it often doesn't work well; the round loses most of its effectiveness and the action won't cycle if it's a semi-auto. Most rifle rounds are like this. For example: subsonic .223 ammo offers terrible performance and therefore almost nobody uses it. If you're shooting a .223 with a suppressor the bullet is still going supersonic and is making a loud crack; so a silenced .223 sounds sort of like a nail gun. But the loud muzzle blast of the .223 is greatly reduced; a suppressed .223 is quieter than an unsuppressed .22LR. This is why one of my favorite guns to suppress is an AR-15, even though I'm still using supersonic ammo.

(7) You need a silencer that can be disassembled.
Not necessarily. Centerfire rifle silencers work best when they're sealed and can't be taken apart; they're stronger this way. You don't need to clean the internals of a rifle suppressor; when you shoot the heat and pressure is so great that almost all the fouling is blown out of it and the thin layer that remains helps protect the internals from erosion. And this thin layer won't build up because the high pressure and heat keeps the carbon from getting too thick.

Centerfire pistol suppressors can go either way. As long as you're not shooting un-jacketed lead bullets or .22 through it, it's not really that important to have a user-serviceable pistol can. If carbon builds up too much inside it you might need to soak the whole thing in solvent once in a while to clean it out. That said, most people (including myself) prefer their pistol suppressors to be user-serviceable just to make cleaning that much easier, and most manufacturers these days recognize this and design their suppressors accordingly.

In my opinion, .22 suppressors are what really need to be user-serviceable. There is an amazing amount of lead and carbon that builds up every time you shoot, even if you're using copper-plated ammo. Carbon by itself is fairly easy to get out of a sealed silencer, but lead is a different story; it's very difficult (or even impossible) to remove if you can't take the silencer apart. Eventually that fouling will build up and the silencer will be noticeably heavier and louder; at this point the only good option for cleaning is to send it in to the manufacturer.

(8) Only criminals and assassins need silencers.
Outside of Hollywood, you don't hear of criminals using silencers very often. But, more importantly, there are so many practical uses for a suppressor:

-Hearing protection. There are a lot of situations where wearing hearing protection is impractical (hunting, for example). Or, where the firearm is loud enough that even with hearing protection there can still be hearing loss (like shooting a rifle at an indoor range). Silencers protect people's hearing.

-Training. Silencers reduce recoil and greatly reduce muzzle blast and sound. They're perfect for introducing newer shooters to shooting.

-Noise pollution. How many outdoor ranges around the country are constantly under the threat of shutdown because residential neighbors can't stand the sound? Or out in rural areas where people shoot on their own property and disturb the neighbors? Silencers greatly reduce noise pollution.

-And most importantly, they're just plain fun!


Those are the main silencer myths I wanted to address. Feel free to add any comments or criticism, and if you think I missed an obvious myth let me know; I'll add it to my list.
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Last edited by Theohazard; October 17, 2013 at 12:29 AM.
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Old October 13, 2013, 06:31 PM   #2
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Excellent post, sir!
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Old October 13, 2013, 07:09 PM   #3
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That is an excellent post, Theo. Points 3 and 4 are probably the two biggest misconceptions I have to address.
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Old October 13, 2013, 08:53 PM   #4
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Great post Theo.
I might add a slight adjustment. Silencers are legal at the federal level, however individual states are another story.

Unless things have changed WA state allows one to own a silencer, but you can't use it within the state. Gotta cross over to OR or ID to shoot your toy.
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Old October 13, 2013, 09:39 PM   #5
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Thanks everyone!

Yeah, Ricklin, I was referring to the federal level; I didn't want to get into the details of state law. Suppressors are legal in most states, including Washington.

WA changed that law you're referring to a few years ago, now they just follow federal law. In WA you can shoot a suppressor anywhere you can legally shoot a fiream.
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Old October 14, 2013, 07:44 AM   #6
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Thanks for the update Theo. Since a can is on my wish list and future plans may entail a permanent move to WA, that's good news.
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Old October 14, 2013, 08:59 AM   #7
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Wow, that was enlightening, always thought silencers lowered your MV. Good to know, might consider using one on my M1A for hunting now.
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Old October 14, 2013, 03:11 PM   #8
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Outstanding post, Theohazard! Thank you.
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Old October 15, 2013, 03:37 PM   #9
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No problem, Spats! I love spreading my addiction!

And Ricklin, I changed my mind and decided to follow your advice; I added a quick part about their legality on the state level. I was worried some people might not realize I was originally just referring to the federal level.

Any other suggestions are welcome!
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Old October 15, 2013, 03:48 PM   #10
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Silencers are fairly mundane objects here - not 'fun'. Quite a lot of people have them.
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Old October 15, 2013, 05:30 PM   #11
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Quote:
Silencers are fairly mundane objects here - not 'fun'.
I'm not sure if it's changed recently, but silencers were not only common in northern European ranges, they were required. It all came down to the idea that reducing harmful noise was considerate to others.
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Old October 18, 2013, 10:28 PM   #12
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Thanks for making this a sticky! If anyone has any questions about my list feel free to ask it here. And if you have any other silencer questions don't hesitate to start a thread and ask; those of us who have become silencer enthusiasts definitely don't mind helping out people who are new to them.
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Old October 19, 2013, 11:17 AM   #13
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It's a great post, sorry I had to make it invisible by sticking it.
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Old April 24, 2014, 11:51 AM   #14
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Old August 10, 2014, 10:10 AM   #15
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Few more questions

Great post.....I wanted to say that first. I just had a few questions though.
I live in Colorado and I know they are legal here.

The question I have is, is the process of getting a suppressor the same if you have a CCW? In looking at the things you have you have to do to get one are the same as getting a CCW. Finger prints, background check and pictures taken. Just seems redundant and a waste of money to have it done twice.

The other question I have is does any one know the legal reason why this process has to be done at all? A weapon of any kind needs ammo of course. With the exception of age there are no restrictions what so ever. you could be convicted felon out on bail and still get ammo. One could even buy everything to make there own ammo with no restrictions. There is no point in owning a weapon without ammo just like there is no point to having ammo without a weapon.

In my head a suppressor is another accessory to owning a weapon. I was in the Marine Corps and in the Army for a total of 18 yrs with a tour in Iraq. So
I am no stranger to may types of weapons and of course own some of my own.

I am not trying to sound ignorant, but just trying to understand the logistics
behind the laws and regulations.

Thanks
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Old August 10, 2014, 10:25 AM   #16
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Common Silencer Myths Debunked

The process is nothing like getting a CCW permit, except for being lots of paperwork and waiting. Law enforcement sign off unless you have a Trust (see the Trust sticky thread). The dealer will know what to do and help you do it. If they're not helpful, find another dealer.

The "legal reason" for this is an 80 year old political deal. The original National Firearms Act had handguns instead of silencers. They couldn't get the votes so they did what Anti-gunners do to this day, they took what they could get, no logic required. Silencers were new, rare and unappreciated. No one cared, except the Antis, since they'll take any bite they can take, so away went the handgun regs and in cane silencers. They got their votes and we've been saddled with the egregious, ineffective, pointless NFA (and some form of what became ATF) ever since.
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Old August 10, 2014, 11:29 AM   #17
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Actually the forms are three, and easy to fill out. They are the ATF form 4 (to buy) or the ATF form 1 (to make), form 5330.20 and two finger print cards. The forms can be downloaded here; http://www.atf.gov/content/library/firearms-forms If you want to e-file, then a single form is filled out and a pdf of the trust is attached and submitted.

The wait is long though; 5 months for e-file and 9-10 for paper forms.
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Old August 10, 2014, 11:58 AM   #18
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Old August 10, 2014, 12:35 PM   #19
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Im in Colorado as well and have a bunch of NFA stuff.

Your problem is going to be in finding a CLEO to sign off on your form. Most Sheriffs in the state wont sign, there may be a few exceptions so ask your local guy

The trust route is SO MUCH BETTER. That said there may be changes in the law soon so if you are thinking about getting NFA items thru a trust you better get started.

Where in Colorado? I can prob point you to a dealer
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Old April 2, 2015, 02:48 PM   #20
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travel ?

Can you carry the silener to the range or have it in your truck or car, without first letting anyone know where you are going , much like what I here you have to report with a full auto .

Last edited by Luckyk1751; April 2, 2015 at 02:50 PM. Reason: misspelled word
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Old April 2, 2015, 03:06 PM   #21
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Dang now I will have to spend $200 on a tax stamp and find the adaptor that clamps on a Ruger Mark 1 and re find the plans that I saw on building a silencer.
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Old April 2, 2015, 09:11 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Luckyk1751
Can you carry the silener to the range or have it in your truck or car, without first letting anyone know where you are going , much like what I here you have to report with a full auto .
Under federal law, you don't need approval to take any Title II firearm to the range, even a machine gun. Well, not unless your range is in another state.

If you want to take a machine gun, short-barrel rifle, short-barrel shotgun, or destructive device across state lines, you need approval from the ATF via Form 5320.20. But approval isn't needed for silencers or AOWs; those firearms are treated just like regular Title I firearms under federal law when it comes to transportation. Of course, check state and local laws before taking a silencer to another state.
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Old April 3, 2015, 10:33 AM   #23
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Another myth that I keep hearing about suppressors and NFA items, in general: there is a lot of paperwork involved in obtaining an NFA item.
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Old April 4, 2015, 04:30 PM   #24
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Originally Posted by Machineguntony
Another myth that I keep hearing about suppressors and NFA items, in general: there is a lot of paperwork involved in obtaining an NFA item.
Yeah, its not that difficult at all. In fact, here in WA the initial paperwork for an NFA item takes less time than the paperwork for a handgun (provided they already have their trust set up); here we have an annoying state handgun form along with the 4473.
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Old April 4, 2015, 11:23 PM   #25
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Quote:
...the initial paperwork for an NFA item takes less time than the paperwork for a handgun (provided they already have their trust set up)...
Which is to say that there's not much paperwork to do after you've already done the paperwork.
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