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So Ive been pondering this along time, the first suppressors public use was in the early early 1900's.
However how and why they became illegal or should say restricted is grey, very grey, area.
It seems that history on what pushed them to be regulated was stemmed from what can only be fake news. Stories of masked men taking out citizens unheard by the ear and hence the word silencer was born. A the time silencer was used nothing was quiet or silenced it was quieter but not silenced but why the scare ?
As even the 22lr with a suppressors is loud enough in most cases to be heard quite a distance and more damaging calibers are hardly surpressed and barely dampened.
However it has been shown that among hunters a suppressor should be a given it saves hearing and keeps from disturbing nature. Furthermore they are being built so well now days that accuracy is seldom affected much.
So who has insight why these laws existed and still exist whats the purpose of this even existing as it does nothing pretty much like alloto_O of gun laws.
 
Sound suppressors/moderators were thought to have been used over here by poacherists in the days before WW2. However, given the cost of the things way back when, it is extremely unlikely that this was the real reason. During WW2 the technology became much improved, and the Brits actually made and used a lot of moderated firearms, like the De Lisle .45ACP-converted SMLE-based carbines - seen here in use by the daughter of one of our regular shooters with a lot of spare money for nice gun toys -


Although we don't pay a tax on them, they ARE treated as a licenseable accessory, rather that something for which you can get a certificate like our guns.


As such, you have to apply for one, and get it entered on your Firearms Certificate as an item.

The odd thing is that you can go buy one for an airgun WITHOUT any form of documentation...of course, IF you put your airgun mod on your .22 rifle [that only kind that is interchangeable], you will be breaking the law big-time, and might be looking at the old chestnut of 'obtaining a licenseable item relating to a firearm without formal permission or documentation', or similar.

Five years CLLLNNNNNNNNNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNG!

On the other tentacle, LEGAL use of mods is widespread, and, in some places, compulsory, especially for night-shooting or around animals or both - pretty common, TBH.

tac
 
The fun police. the pox on them
if ever I got one (hoping to the Jesus they become much more unregulated) I'd get a 6" Bar-Sto barrel for a Hi-Power and have it threaded
 
to many 1930s gangster movies

1291730_f520.jpg

although these dudes here on the bottom are the real thing.
Fascinating-Photos-Of-1930s-Gangster-Culture.jpg
 
Because they wanted to ban everything firearms related except bolt action long guns and shotguns. Even pistols were on the original list to be made NFA. The only reason the NFA was instituted instead of an outright ban is because they were afraid of a 2nd amendment challenge. Taxing and regulating they could get away with. The 1930's NRA wasnt the NRA of today and no one spoke up for machinegun and silencer owners. Desperate times brought desperado's out of the woodworks in the midwest and that stuff played up on the news like it was happening on every street corner.
 
Suppressors were outlawed to keep the poor people during the depression from harvesting game quietly and depleting the wild animal stock. It has nothing to do with gangsters and mob hits. It was purely political to make the poor people dependent on the government welfare and help eliminate self reliance in this nation.

The idea of making a tax was to heavily penalize the poorer people and make it out of reach. Notice the "tax stamp" cost has not changed much over the years, while inflation says somebody can earn over $200/day now... back then it was a lot of dough.
 
So I mentioned what I had heard about why suppressors are regulated to a friend,how it was a poaching bs law.
He says,
'Hunting is regulated by the states not the feds. It would have nothing to do with the Feds!
(Read this in a elevated voice;))
What it was is PROHIBITION was over and those guys needed JOBS !! It had nothing to do with poaching!!!'
Well I didn't have an argument for that. And yes my friend isn't a fan of our government :D
 
Its worth it not to use hearing protection at the ears. Nothing better than shooting , hearing the birds chirping , hearing the bullet smack the target and ricochet more than you would have thought bullets actually do. Makes for a nice relaxing afternoon.
 

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