I always thought they were illegal: apparently not.
The National Firearms Act of 1934 created strict limits on the ownership of suppressors, or silencers, as they are also known. In the 42 states that permit civilian ownership of the products, individuals must submit an application to the ATF, pass a background check, and pay a $200 tax stamp.
My home state, Ohio, is one of the 42 where they are legal.
My late father and I owned a few hand guns for target range shooting. We never considered owning a silencer or suppressor. We didn’t need one.
My feeling is that the only reason any one would own one is to assassinate someone with out drawing attention to themselves. Making a successful getaway all that more likely. And if you’ve seen a lot of spy or mobster movies, this becomes obvious.
There are two reasons why I bring this up:
- The recent mass shooting in Virginia Beach which took the lives of 12 people. (the shooter used a silencer)
- Recent case ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States. (SCOTUS)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday turned away a bid to widen legal protections for gun silencers in a case involving two Kansas men convicted for failing to register the devices as required by federal law, as the justices again sidestepped a chance to rule on the scope of the right to bear arms.
Basically, what the court is saying that they don’t consider silencers a weapon. I agree.
Silencers, as well as bump stocks, are useless without the weapon. Duh. Unless, without the weapon, you use one to bludgeon your victim to death.