Yeah, I've got a new "need"...
... for a suppressor. No, not a flash suppressor. A sound suppressor. And no, you ninnies, it's NOT a "silencer". Hollywood, CNN and "60 Minutes" lie.
One of my few friends asked (with some reluctance, since I figure he knew how this dance was going to go...), "why do you need a suppressor?" I wanted to break out the 'ol smartmouth, but considering how suppressors have been portrayed in Hollywood (the extent off most people's exposure to that kind of thing), and since most people have probably never actually even seen one (never mind never having heard one...), the question was understandable.
I "need" a suppressor for the same reason I "need" a muffler on my car. Because a .223 rifle is loud, and too much of that will make the neighbors mad, even if they're half a mile away (as in my case). Look at it this way: does this recent rash of lawyers-on-un-muffled-Harley-custom-chopper-clones roaring by the restaurant where you're trying to enjoy a nice quiet dinner get on your last nerve? Think about that. Generally, people like things quiet - and that applies to custom choppers or cars or stereos as much as it applies to guns. Besides, if I ever have to fire my rifle in self defense, I'd prefer that it not cost me (or my wife, or even my dogs) my (or their) hearing.
The Hollywood-tripe-myth of "silencers" gives most people the impression that only assassins and eeeevil people use them. "Ooooohhhh", they say, eyes wide, palms sweating, "then criminals can shoot people and the cops can't hear where the shots are coming from!"
Phooey. A suppressor on a .223 AR-15 will reduce the sound level to around that of a .22. That way 1. I don't piss off my neighbors while I'm practicing 100 rounds worth of double-taps, 2. I don't have to wear more-sweat-inducing muffs during the summer in order to shoot my rifle 3. I won't go deaf if I have to shoot in self-defense.
Besides, how many crimes have you heard of involving a suppressor? I bet none. Consider: The so-called "DC Sniper" didn't use one - he hid in a car trunk and shot people through a hole he cut in the back of the trunk. DC's finest took forever to catch him. Frankly, criminals don't seem to give a damn if the cops hear where the shooting is coming from. Aside from that, how often do the po-po actually make it to the scene while the shooting is actually still going on? Puh-leeze.
Suppressors have ALWAYS been legal (though difficult and expensive) to own. Lots of people have them. Stop listening to those lying sacks of excrement on the "news". Driving on the interstate should scare the living hell out of you. Suppressors shouldn't.
The downside is: on top of the cost of a suppressor (somewhere between $500 and $1500 for a top-of-the-line-Spec-Ops-and-ninjas-use-this-model), I'll have to go through ANOTHER background check, fingerprints, 2 photos AND pay a $200 "transfer tax". Never mind that I go through the NCIS background check every time I buy a gun, AND I've been through all this to get my carry permit. "Tax" indeed.
[Alpineman spits in disgust]
Educate yourself. Nothing angers me like fear driven by ignorance. Right now, I'm considering a model produced by Gemtech. Their Web site is one of the most informative I've seen. That alone makes me want to throw money at them. http://www.gem-tech.com/index.htm
One of my few friends asked (with some reluctance, since I figure he knew how this dance was going to go...), "why do you need a suppressor?" I wanted to break out the 'ol smartmouth, but considering how suppressors have been portrayed in Hollywood (the extent off most people's exposure to that kind of thing), and since most people have probably never actually even seen one (never mind never having heard one...), the question was understandable.
I "need" a suppressor for the same reason I "need" a muffler on my car. Because a .223 rifle is loud, and too much of that will make the neighbors mad, even if they're half a mile away (as in my case). Look at it this way: does this recent rash of lawyers-on-un-muffled-Harley-custom-chopper-clones roaring by the restaurant where you're trying to enjoy a nice quiet dinner get on your last nerve? Think about that. Generally, people like things quiet - and that applies to custom choppers or cars or stereos as much as it applies to guns. Besides, if I ever have to fire my rifle in self defense, I'd prefer that it not cost me (or my wife, or even my dogs) my (or their) hearing.
The Hollywood-tripe-myth of "silencers" gives most people the impression that only assassins and eeeevil people use them. "Ooooohhhh", they say, eyes wide, palms sweating, "then criminals can shoot people and the cops can't hear where the shots are coming from!"
Phooey. A suppressor on a .223 AR-15 will reduce the sound level to around that of a .22. That way 1. I don't piss off my neighbors while I'm practicing 100 rounds worth of double-taps, 2. I don't have to wear more-sweat-inducing muffs during the summer in order to shoot my rifle 3. I won't go deaf if I have to shoot in self-defense.
Besides, how many crimes have you heard of involving a suppressor? I bet none. Consider: The so-called "DC Sniper" didn't use one - he hid in a car trunk and shot people through a hole he cut in the back of the trunk. DC's finest took forever to catch him. Frankly, criminals don't seem to give a damn if the cops hear where the shooting is coming from. Aside from that, how often do the po-po actually make it to the scene while the shooting is actually still going on? Puh-leeze.
Suppressors have ALWAYS been legal (though difficult and expensive) to own. Lots of people have them. Stop listening to those lying sacks of excrement on the "news". Driving on the interstate should scare the living hell out of you. Suppressors shouldn't.
The downside is: on top of the cost of a suppressor (somewhere between $500 and $1500 for a top-of-the-line-Spec-Ops-and-ninjas-use-this-model), I'll have to go through ANOTHER background check, fingerprints, 2 photos AND pay a $200 "transfer tax". Never mind that I go through the NCIS background check every time I buy a gun, AND I've been through all this to get my carry permit. "Tax" indeed.
[Alpineman spits in disgust]
Educate yourself. Nothing angers me like fear driven by ignorance. Right now, I'm considering a model produced by Gemtech. Their Web site is one of the most informative I've seen. That alone makes me want to throw money at them. http://www.gem-tech.com/index.htm
posted by Alpineman, RN at 2:21 PM
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