NSSF Debunks Anti-Suppressor Lies

Suppressors are high up on my list of things I want to see removed from the NFA. I’d like to see them on store shelves–if gun control works, there’s no reason to regulate suppressors at all–but I get that’s not going to happen right now.

Instead, we’re close to being able to get them at our local gun stores with a simple NICS check. It’s not perfect, but it’s still a lot better than I thought we’d see a few years ago.

Unfortunately, suppressors are the target of a lot of lies. 

I say lies because the people uttering them are in a position to know better. They either willfully ignored the truth or they know it and are just making stuff up for political reasons.

Either way, it’s not a mistake. They know the truth and are still spouting falsehoods. That’s lying, and considering who we’re talking about, that’s not a surprise.

Larry Keane of the NSSF decided to debunk these lies.

Sen. Chris Murphy

Among the loudest voices is Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who posted to X, “A hidden provision of the bill…wait for it…legalizes gun silencers!! What?? So now criminals will be able to hide their crimes and police will lose the ability to respond to mass shootings. WTF.” He followed that up by also posting a speech, saying “silencers” will allow murderers to commit crimes in secret, claiming the firearm report would be completely silenced, “Silencers are the tools of killers, they are the tools of criminals, period, stop.”

That’s a lie.

Suppressors don’t completely silence a firearm. They only reduce the firearm’s report from a level that causes instant and irreversible hearing damage to a safe hearing level. That’s about 165 decibels (or the louder than a jet taking off) reduced 30-35 decibels (the sound of a jackhammer).

Sen. Murphy’s claim that suppressors would result in increased mass shootings, because guns are “silenced,” is false. In May 2019, a deranged murderer used a suppressor in his crimes in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Witnesses said, “We kept hearing gunshots,” according to The Washington Post. That was a tragic event, but despite Sen. Murphy’s claim that suppressors are the “tools of criminals” falls flat.

Sen. Chuck Schumer

Sen. Murphy wasn’t alone in his uninformed hysteria. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) couldn’t help himself.

“Who wants a silencer? Not the average citizen,” Sen. Schumer said in a speech. “They’re law-abiding. Not our police officers. They’re against these provisions that allow anyone to get a silencer. The only people who want silencers are criminals because they don’t want people to hear their bad, horrible, deadly deeds.”

Suppressors are legal to own in 42 states (including in Sen. Murphy’s Connecticut) and legal for hunting in 41 states. Lawful suppressor ownership has increased exponentially in recent years, with an NSSF study finding a 265 percent surge in annual suppressor registrations. As of December 31, 2024, there are more than 4.5 million suppressors registered and an estimated 3.14 million suppressors belong to consumers – a number that has only grown in the past six months as application processing times have dramatically gone down.

Also included is Sen. Mark Kelly, who tried to claim that suppressors would render technology like ShotSpotter useless. The fact that ShotSpotter itself claims it can detect suppressed gunfire debunks that nonsense.

The truth is that there are a lot of suppressors running around in lawful hands without incident.

There are also enough plans out on the internet for building a suppressor with a 3D printer that any hope of preventing bad people from getting suppressors is long over. The murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson should have proven that one loud and clear.

Instead, it’s just the law-abiding who are left at a disadvantage. We’re beholden to a $200 tax to own something that is ultimately a safety device. 

I don’t want one because I’m planning on killing anyone. I want one because, God forbid, I ever have to defend my home against invasion. I’d much rather deal with just the psychological trauma of taking a life without everyone in my house having to also deal with the physical trauma of having their hearing damaged.

I want to see people have them readily available to reduce the noise at gun ranges, so we stop seeing these battles from neighbors trying to force them out due to noise.

And I’m sick of people slinging lies to try and justify preventing any of that from happening.

Even without the Second Amendment, this should still be a no-brainer for everyone.