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There’s Nothing Silent About Silencers
No tool can make a gunshot silent. Guns are simply too loud. Silencers, also known as suppressors, simply reduce the
dangerously loud noise of a gunshot to safer levels. Suppressed gunshots are still as loud or louder than a jackhammer
striking concrete. Would you trust anyone who told you that a jackhammer is too quiet to hear?
Federal Regulations
Suppressors are regulated under the National Firearms Act (NFA) of 1934 and fall under the purview of the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). In order to buy a suppressor, you must send ATF an application including fingerprints,
passport photos, and a $200 transfer tax, notify your local Chief Law Enforcement Officer (CLEO), and wait for ATF to
process the application. Upon approval, ATF will enter your information into a national registry.
Federal regulations carry enhanced penalties for criminal use. Legally obtained suppressors are used so rarely in crime that
ATF has publicly stated that suppressors “should not be viewed as a threat to public safety