IGNORANCE: Democratic Senator Says Gun Silencers Make Guns Silent. They Don't.
Now that Donald Trump is president, and Republicans control both chambers of the legislative branch, hope has been revived for the Hearing Protection Act, a bill designed to make firearm silencers (otherwise known as suppressors) easier to purchase.
As it stands, one can own a silencer, but only at great cost. According to The Washington Post, to obtain a silencer, one must pay a $200 tax, and wait nine months for the approval process.
Guns.com corroborates the number, reporting that as of February 2015, there were an estimated 800,000 suppressors in circulation. Some of the most common uses for suppressors include target shooting and hunting.
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Nevertheless, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) has come out strong against suppressors, claiming they make guns "quiet" and implying potential mass criminal use:
According to Paul A. Clark, "There are very few cases of the actual use of a silencer in a crime, that is, a firearm discharged with a silencer attached. Of the federal court cases reported in the Lexus/Westlaw database between 1995 and 2005, there are only two cases of a silencer being used in a murder in the United States."
Now that Donald Trump is president, and Republicans control both chambers of the legislative branch, hope has been revived for the Hearing Protection Act, a bill designed to make firearm silencers (otherwise known as suppressors) easier to purchase.
As it stands, one can own a silencer, but only at great cost. According to The Washington Post, to obtain a silencer, one must pay a $200 tax, and wait nine months for the approval process.
In 2010, there were 285,087 registered silencers. Last year [2016]: 902,085.
Guns.com corroborates the number, reporting that as of February 2015, there were an estimated 800,000 suppressors in circulation. Some of the most common uses for suppressors include target shooting and hunting.
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Nevertheless, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) has come out strong against suppressors, claiming they make guns "quiet" and implying potential mass criminal use:
Kirsten Gillibrand
I'm fighting back against bills (backed by the Trump admin) that'd make it easy for criminals to buy gun silencers.
Can you imagine if we allowed a criminal with a gun in New York City to attach a silencer to their weapon? It'd be a dangerous mistake.
When someone gets shot by a gun with a silencer, it's quiet. Witnesses might not hear. Police will be less likely to track down the shooter.
I'm fighting back against bills (backed by the Trump admin) that'd make it easy for criminals to buy gun silencers.
Can you imagine if we allowed a criminal with a gun in New York City to attach a silencer to their weapon? It'd be a dangerous mistake.
When someone gets shot by a gun with a silencer, it's quiet. Witnesses might not hear. Police will be less likely to track down the shooter.
According to Paul A. Clark, "There are very few cases of the actual use of a silencer in a crime, that is, a firearm discharged with a silencer attached. Of the federal court cases reported in the Lexus/Westlaw database between 1995 and 2005, there are only two cases of a silencer being used in a murder in the United States."