Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) claims that suppressors make mass public shootings more deadly. Between January 1, 1998 and December 31, 2024, there were 104 mass public shootings, but only two of those involved suppressors (Virginia Beach, Virginia in 2019 and Milwaukee in 2020). The average number of casualties from mass public shootings with suppressors is actually lower than the average without (11 v. 19.8), though the average number of people murdered is exactly the same as (8.5 v. 8.5).
Senator Murphy also claims that suppressors will make it so that “no one will be able to hear the gun shots.” But AR-15s or .45 caliber handguns are as quiet as a jackhammer is at close range. Of course, when Senator Murphy says “think of how many more classrooms that shooter can get into, . . . think of how many more rooms in a church that mass murderer might get to,” firing a gun within an enclosed space does make the sound of the shot louder and more intense for those inside a building. In an enclosed space (like a room or vehicle), the sound waves from a gunshot rebound off walls and surfaces, amplifying the noise.
Regulations governing firearm suppressors (also known as silencers) vary significantly across Europe, ranging from permissive to very restrictive, but despite higher per capita rates of mass public shootings in some of these countries, there are no mentions of suppressors being used in mass public shootings. Suppressors remain unregulated in Norway, and anyone can purchase them without a license. As of July 1, 2022, Sweden no longer considers suppressors as firearm parts, allowing anyone with a permit for the associated firearm to own one without a specific license. In France, suppressors are legal and don’t require a license. In fact, French authorities may penalize gun owners who fail to use suppressors, citing the need to minimize noise disturbances.
Murphy claims that “silencers are the tools of killers, they are the tools of criminals.” Despite the fact that there were 3.54 million legally owned suppressors in 2024, up from 2.66 million in 2021, and that they are fairly easy to make, suppressors are rarely used in crime. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) reported recommending prosecutions for only about 44 silencer-related crimes annually over a decade, equating to approximately 0.003% of registered suppressors being used in crimes each year.
According to ChatGPT: “Making a suppressor (or “silencer”) for a firearm is technically not very difficult for someone with moderate mechanical skills and access to basic metalworking tools. . . . the technical skills required to build a suppressor are within reach for many hobbyists.” Indeed, there are guides to making them on the internet.
This article originally appeared on Crime Prevention Research Center. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News. It is republished with permission.
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Wow. They hate gunowners so bad, don’t they? It is a wonder how these people ever get elected.
It’s called selection not election.
Democrats love gun control. Confiscation is in all of their wet dreams.
This man is a fool when it comes to gun knowledge & an ass all other times.
IT CERTAINLY ENTERTAINING TO HEAR A SUPPOSEDLY EDUCATED INDIVIDUAL SPEW WORDS ABOUT STUFF HE KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT. HE WOULD PROBABLY FAINT IF HE EVER HELD A GUN. HE SHOULD SHUT UP AND BURY HIS HEAD IN THE SAND AND WRING HIS HANDS INTO OBLIVION. READ THE REAL FACTS BUT THAT WOULD REQUIRE A BRAIN TO DECIPHER THEM. VOTE HI OUT OF OFFICE ALREADY! SCHMER IS NO BETTER SINCE HAS NO IDEA EITHER. HE NEEDS TO BE VOTED OUT TOO!!!!
Believe me we have tried to vote them out the rigged system keeps them in because they do what they are told.
Chris Murphy is nothing more then a Soros tool.
The point here is to make anything to do with gun ownership more difficult. Magazine regs, ammo regs, age regs, whatever they can think up. Don’t ever expect that reason or fact will enter into the argument on the side of the gun grabbers.
I believe suppressor make shooting a firearm safer. loss of hearing is prevalent among people who shot firearms. Once again democrats such as Senator Murphy wants to punish everyone instead of those who use suppressors for illegitimate reasons