Personally, I think suppressor should be the least of illegal things about firearms.
The majority of the people I know with one have it so they don't bother their neighbors as much and they have a little extra buffer zone for their earpro.
I'd much rather it sound like my neighbor is using a large sledgehammer all day than gunshots.
The masks, lack of clear identification (not "I'm a cop" but actual identifying information), and what looks like 270 rounds of ammo waiting to go for a supposed kidnappingdeportation are of FAR greater concern.
It depends on what you shoot, also. A subsonic 22lr will sound like an airgun. A 55gr 5.56 (common to AR-15s) will still be loud as shit from the sonic boom.
they're really only useful for reducing the decibels a bit for hearing protection reasons
Given that a couple decibel is a big range that can mean the difference between permanent damage and no damage at all, I'd call that pretty damn useful!
But yeah, you're otherwise absolutely right, of course 😁
If you must shoot where there are non target animals with ears then you should protect their ears by using a suppresser. Non target includes the person holding the gun.
I'm not. Nobody has tried claiming they're silent. Silencer is a very very common term for that attachment, and you know that, but you felt the need to chime anyways.
If anything, it's you being unpleasant here, not me.
Explaining that they aren't silent and just make guns less likely to damage hearing is the most appropriate answer to someone asking why they're needed.
Its also reasonable to assume someone asking why they're needed assumes they're used similarly to how they're presented in pop culture
You keep repeating this like they were speaking to anything other than the common parlance term? Where did they say they were addressing someone in this post?
I mean, I've heard that from groups trying to pass laws to get rid of the tax stamp, but in all honesty everyone I've known who has a suppressor only has one because they think they are cool.
I mean you still have to wear hearing protection with them, especially if you're at a range where the vast majority of people aren't using a suppressor.
Right now, the market for them is distorted by the tax stamp. Only a few people bother with the paperwork and fee (even though it's been highly streamlined in recent years). That means companies producing them have to make up their costs with high prices rather than volume. It's almost a stealth tax on top of the stated tax.
That results in only a few well off people getting them. This has little overlap with skill or appreciation for the hobby.
Drop them from the NFA, and now everyone with a 3D printer can just run one off. Even in traditional manufacturing, you have a much larger customer base, and the company can sell on volume rather than high prices.
Right now, the market for them is distorted by the tax stamp. Only a few people bother with the paperwork and fee (even though it's been highly streamlined in recent years). That means companies producing them have to make up their costs with high prices rather than volume. It's almost a stealth tax on top of the stated tax.
Oh I agree, I'm not saying that the system we have is great. I just don't think the majority of people are buying suppressors because of the added hearing protection.
Personally I just don't see the point of suppressors. Maybe if I had a bunch of land or something and got to shoot by myself all the time. But me having a suppressor isn't going to help much if the guy in the lane next to me is shooting with a muzzle brake.
The cost of subsonic ammo alone is enough that I wouldn't run a suppressor even if they were cheaper.
If I had a suppressor on my AR-15, I'd still be using hearing protection. I really should be doubling up on ear plugs and muffs together, but I tend to have a lot of earwax buildup, and properly inserted ear plugs tend to compact that problem.
Yeah, I double up on ear pro. It's not comfortable, but I already have some hearing damage from my job.
If I ever ran a suppressor I'd rebuild my upper receiver for .300 black out, but I can't see myself shelling out the money for the rebuild, tax stamp, suppressor.....and paying a buck a round.