MSNBC Guest: Hunters Use Suppressors So Deer Can’t Hear Them

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Amber Athey - The Daily Caller


https://i.imgur.com/FumOWMc.jpg

Former FBI agent Manny Gomez claimed on MSNBC on Monday that hunters use suppressors so that deer cannot hear the gunshots.

Firearm owners actually use suppressors to prevent hearing loss, and even with a suppressor, a firearm would still be loud enough to spook a deer or other wild game.

“Sportsmen, hunters would make an argument that they need that so that their target, whether it’s a deer, etc. don’t hear the shot,” Gomez claimed, “but numerous other sportsmen have shot from muskets–when the founding fathers started the Second Amendment–up until now successfully killed game animals without the use of a silencer.”

In addition to misrepresenting the reasons hunters and other firearm enthusiasts choose to use suppressors, the former FBI agent claimed that crime will increase if suppressors are made more widely available.

“It gets us more assassinations and a higher crime rate,” Gomez said of efforts to loosen regulations on suppressors. “Silencers were made for one purpose and one purpose alone–that’s nefariously kill people with little evidence and little to no sound.”

Over the past decade, an average of 0.003 percent of suppressors were used in crimes each year. There are currently about 1.3 million suppressors in circulation in the United States, and the level of noise made by suppressed guns has been compared to jackhammers.

[Goofy]

I always used a suppressor on my AEK-971 in Battlefield 4 :)

[Griffin]

Asia

In Hong Kong, "any accessory to such arms designed or adapted to diminish the noise or flash" is within the definition of 'arms' under the Firearms and Ammunition Ordinance (HK Laws. Chap 238). As such, a permit is required (as with firearms and ammunition) for possession which would otherwise be illegal and carries penalties up to a fine of HK$100,000 and 14 years in jail.
In Thailand, sound suppressors of any kind are allowed to be used only by law enforcement units or military personnel in operation.
In Pakistan, it is strictly prohibited for civilians to possess sound suppressors, with a punishment of life time in prison.

Europe

In Austria, the purchase or possession of a suppressor is prohibited according to §17 of the Austrian Weapons Law.
In the Czech Republic suppressors are, according to §4 of Weapons and Ammunition Law, considered an A-class weapon, which means a special exception is needed to possess them. This makes suppressors illegal for any practical purpose.
In Denmark, the Danish Weapons And Explosives Law makes the unlicensed possession of a suppressor illegal. A permit may be acquired from the local police, but permission is almost always denied. Only police and hunters with special permission for the emergency slaughtering of livestock inside buildings are allowed to use them. However, Danish legislasion is in the process of being updated in this area and suppressors will soon become legal for hunting. This is expected to happen during the first part of 2014. A permit will still be required.
In Finland, a firearm suppressor is classified as a firearm part by law. Purchasing a suppressor requires a firearm ownership permit, which is to be shown to the vendor at the moment of purchase.
In Germany suppressors are to be handled in the same way as the guns they are intended to be equipped with. That is, if a firearm requires a specific permit, the corresponding suppressor requires the identical permit as well. For example, suppressors for freely available airguns are also freely available. Suppressors are currently not specified exactly by means of a certain minimum attenuating level in dB which separates them from improved flash hiders or advanced muzzle brakes. Firearm suppressors require a "legal need" to own them, just like the firearms they are designed for, but it is nigh on impossible to legally prove that you need a suppressor, with the exception of large city and graveyard pest control.
In Hungary, the purchase or possession of a suppressor is prohibited for civilians.
Italy prohibited the purchase or possession of a suppressor except for military personnel until 2012. After September 2012 (D.M. 26/oct/2010 N° 204), objects that reduce the sound of a firearms are recognized as civilian firearms part, and are legal to own and use except for hunting.
In the Netherlands suppressors are only legal if used for airguns. All other civilian use and ownership is prohibited by law.
In Norway, suppressors can be bought by anyone.
In Poland, suppressors are not classified as "important weapon parts". Therefore, they are completely legal in all calibers, requiring no registration or permit. You can own, buy, sell, manufacture silencer. However polish Firearms and Amunition Act (art.10, p. 5) states that firearms ownership approval cannot be issued for firearms equipped with silencer or adapted to be used with silencer. This law however is not enforced, sport shooters, hunters or gun collectors own many firearms which are factory adapted to be used with silencers, and approach to suppressors in Poland is changing.
In Romania, buying or possessing suppressors is illegal for civilians. Only military and law enforcement personnel are authorized to use them.
In the Russian Federation, usage of firearm suppressors (legally defined as "devices for noiseless shooting") by civilians is prohibited, and the dealers are prohibited from selling them, but there is no penalty for purchasing or possession of such devices. Also the law lacks any straight definition of what a "device for noiseless shooting" is, or what decibel level is considered to be "noiseless", therefore it is completely up to the expert investigating the device whether it would be considered a "device for noiseless shooting" or not. That concerns not only specifically designed sound suppressors, but also such devices as muzzle compensators and flash suppressors. Sound moderators are very often used for airguns.
In Sweden, suppressors for specified calibers are legal for hunting purposes. A license is required, but is normally always granted.
In Turkey, civilian purchase, sale or possession of suppressors are strictly prohibited, with possible jail terms of up to 25 years if convicted. Suppressors can only be purchased by military personnel when approved by the officer in charge of the base armory. Individual law enforcement officers are not eligible to purchase or possess suppressors unless these are issued by a local agency, in which case these would be registered to the General Directorate of Security in Ankara.
In the United Kingdom, sales of suppressors fall into four categories of use. For replica and air guns, the purchase of a suppressor requires no license and in most cases, no identification requirement. For shotguns, these will probably require the presentation of the buyer's shotgun certificate but will not be recorded. If the shotgun is classified as a firearm (where capacity exceeds 3 cartridges) the firearm certificate (FAC) will need to show permission for the purchase of a suppressor. For a small- or full-bore rifle, the firearm certificate (FAC) will need to show permission for the purchase of a suppressor and also the gun for which it is intended. All firearms certificates have the firearm and caliber approved by the police and annotated to the document before a suppressor may be purchased. Police forces usually approve applications for a suppressor for hunting and target shooters, as the risks of litigation for personal injury, especially high-tone deafness resulting from shooting-induced hearing loss, are significant; and noise pollution in general is a problem for shooting sports.

North America

In Canada, a device to muffle or stop the sound of a firearm is a "prohibited device" under the Criminal Code.[30] A prohibited device is not inherently illegal in Canada but it does require an uncommon and very specific prohibited device license for its possession, use, and transport. Suppressors cannot be imported into the country by civilians;[31] special licensing is required for businesses to import and sell suppressors, and they are typically only available to law enforcement, conservation agencies, and the military.
In the United States, taxes and strict regulations affect the manufacture and sale of suppressors under the National Firearms Act. They are legal for individuals to possess and use for lawful purposes in 39 of the 50 states.[32] However, a prospective user must go through an application process administered by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), which requires a federal tax payment of $200 and a thorough criminal background check. The tax payment buys a revenue stamp, which is the legal document allowing possession of a suppressor. The following jurisdictions have explicitly banned any civilian from possessing a suppressor: California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont,[33] and the District of Columbia. The federal legal requirements to manufacture a suppressor in the United States are enumerated in Title 26, Chapter 53 of the United States Code.[34] The individual states and several municipalities also have their specific requirements. Federal law provides severe penalties for crimes of violence committed using firearms equipped with silencers: a minimum prison sentence of 30 years.[35]

Oceania

Suppressors are banned in all Australian states and territories.
New Zealand has no restrictions on the manufacture, sale, possession, or use of suppressors.

[Griffin]

Obviously just another reason to keep law abiding Americans from enjoying their hearing in later years.