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Sound Suppressors: And Why Everybody Needs At Least One.

In 1934, Congress passed the National Firearms Act in response to the gangster violence that arose inevitably out of Prohibition. The bloodthirsty exploits of characters like John Dillinger, Al Capone, Baby Face Nelson and Machinegun Kelly captured the imagination of the public and in timeless fashion lawmakers decided something drastic simply must be done. Prior to this time there were essentially no rules governing private firearm ownership and items such as machine guns and sound suppressors were available over the counter anywhere in the country.

Believing at the time it was unconstitutional for Congress to ban things outright, legislators instead enacted a $200 transfer tax on the transfer of machine guns, sound suppressors, short-barreled weapons and destructive devices like hand grenades and howitzers. Incidentally, it was a fairly narrow thing at the time which kept handguns from being lumped into this same category. It’s thought-provoking to imagine how the cultural landscape of our country might have been changed had handguns fallen within the restrictive purview of the NFA in 1934.

That $200 in 1934 was the equivalent of more than $3,400 today and this effectively banned transfers of these items in the post-Depression economy of the 1930’s. However, inflation has made this burden more manageable in the 21st-century and the trade in NFA-regulated items has skyrocketed as a result.

There’s a certain innate sex appeal to possessing things society tells us we shouldn’t have. The actual number of violent crimes committed with suppressed firearms is ridiculously low — I could only find reference to three in the entire country in the last decade. However, the baseless media-driven perception of sound suppressors as the tools of choice for professional assassins and similarly well-heeled ne’er-do-wells means we red-blooded American gun owners simply must have them.

There is great practical utility to a sound suppressor. Noise pollution is diminished and suppressor owners make better neighbors as a result. Nothing is better than a suppressed .22 for introducing neophyte shooters to the sport. The lack of hearing protection facilitates communication and enhances safety. Additionally, a proper suppressor on a precision rifle can dampen a barrel’s harmonics and produce better accuracy.

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This TiRANT 45 can from Advanced Armament Corporation employs a Linear Inertial
Decoupler or Nielsen Device for reliable operation on this locked-breech HK handgun.
The LID ensures there is adequate recoil energy to cycle the gun’s action with the
added weight of the suppressor in place.

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This SOCOM 556 suppressor from SureFire is standard issue for Mk18 and M4 rifles used
by the US Special Operations Command. Designed for easy mounting and removal as well
as functional indestructibility, the SOCOM 556 is a robust tactical tool for professionals.

A Wee Bit Of Physics

The perceived noise made by a firearm is a function of a great many factors, only some of which are controllable. The clatter of a mechanical action is typically fairly immutable, but the majority of a gun’s report comes from the rapid escape of hot gases behind the bullet. A sound suppressor is designed to slow and cool those gases so they are not quite so offensive when they finally see the light of day. Designing the entrails of a sound suppressor is science, art and voodoo in comparable measure and some very smart people have developed some very clever solutions.

The other major piece of the sound equation is bullet noise. The speed of sound in dry air at 68 degrees F is 1,125 feet per second. Bullets traveling faster than this produce a significant sonic boom beyond the capacity of a sound suppressor to influence. Perceived report is also a function of bullet size and subsequent bore diameter, smaller calibers being easier to suppress than larger ones.

Some guns such as the HK MP5SD and the Sterling L34A1 submachine guns incorporate ported barrels to drop the velocity of standard ammunition below the speed of sound. Other systems require specially-loaded subsonic rounds for maximum efficiency. Additionally, some pistol-mounted “cans” (a nickname for suppressors) require a built-in muzzle booster called a Nielsen device or Linear Inertial Decoupler for reliable operation given the added weight of the suppressor on the barrel. Fixed barrel guns like the HK P9S make desirable suppressor hosts as they do not require an LID for reliable operation.

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Sound suppressors make for easier, safer handgun training and for more
neighborly shooting as noise pollution is minimized.

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The Gemtech G-core suppressor is a monocore design wherein the baffle stack is
cut from a solid cylinder. Baffle design is a function of science, art, and
voodoo in comparable measure.

Hardware

The American inventor Hiram Percy Maxim, son of famed machine gun inventor Hiram Stevens Maxim, typically gets credit for producing and marketing the world’s first effective sound suppressors around 1902. Maxim coined the somewhat overly optimistic term “silencer” and President Theodore Roosevelt was an enthusiastic early advocate of his device.
William “Wild Bill” Donovan served as director of the Office of Strategic Services, the precursor to the CIA, in World War II. As a demonstration he smuggled a suppressed .22 pistol into the Oval Office and discharged ten rounds into a sandbag while the President was dictating a letter — without interrupting his work.

The WWII-era British Mk IIS Sten submachine gun incorporated a bronze bolt and integral sound suppressor and was the first suppressed military weapon to see fairly widespread though clandestine use.

Today there are dozens of companies producing sound suppressors for sale to American shooters. Suppressor ownership is legal in 39 states and requires a BATF Form 4 application for transfer. A class II or III firearms dealer is the place to start and they can help walk you through the paperwork.

The form is prepared in duplicate along with a pair of FBI fingerprint cards and passport photos, a ridiculous self attestation of citizenship, and the signature of the local Chief Law Enforcement Officer establishing that the prospective owner is not a local menace. The CLEO sign off is an anachronistic throwback to the days before electronic background checks and ownership of an NFA item though a legal trust removes this step for now. Google NFA trusts if you want more information on that labyrinthine subject.

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Musings

Sound suppressors are useful, cool and fun. Given the dearth of actual criminal usage they really should be sold over the counter in blister packs at Wal-Mart. Many other civilized countries do indeed allow their sale without oversight and they seem to fare just fine. And in many European countriues, you’d be considered a barbarian if you went to the range or hunted without using a suppressor. In some areas, they are mandatory.

For now, American shooters who can afford the $200 transfer tax and endure the 6-plus month waits required for the BATF to process their paperwork can add a whole new dimension to their shooting experience with a legally-registered sound suppressor. Prices range from $250 or so for a low-end .22 caliber and can cost up to well over a grand for precision units, but once you’ve had a taste you’ll never look at your old noisy pistols the same again.
Bu Will Dabbs, MD

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