Silencers Threaten the Safety of Law Enforcement
Firearm silencers have long been used by our military to gain a strategic advantage over the enemy. In fact, when SEAL Team Six killed Osama Bin Laden, they used suppressed weapons in their operation. While silencers do not completely quiet the sound of gunfire, they do alter the sound of gunfire, making it difficult to recognize. So, when these highly trained soldiers used silencers, they were able to successfully ambush guards to apprehend the world’s most wanted terrorist.
Make no mistake — silencers, sometimes called suppressors, are deadly weapons. When they fall in the wrong hands, they can be used to conceal crimes, including ambush-style killings. Nevertheless, one of the gun lobby’s top legislative priorities would make it easier for all people to obtain silencers.
In the hands of dangerous individuals, gun silencers pose a specific threat to law enforcement.
Making silencers easier to obtain would increase the threat posed to law enforcement when responding to an active shooter. It’s easy to imagine how guns fired with silencers could increase the risk of ambush attacks targeting cops — a problem that’s already on the rise.
In 2016, 64 officers were killed from gunfire. This represents a 56 percent rise over the 41 officers killed by gunfire in 2015. Of the 64 shooting deaths of officers in 2016, 21 were the result of ambush-style killings — the highest total in more than two decades.
Silencers also prevent police officers from responding quickly to active shooters by diminishing the effectiveness of gunshot detection systems, such as Shotspotter. These systems, now deployed in nearly 100 cities across the country, provide police with real-time alerts to illegal gunfire, enabling first responders to more safely respond to and investigate gun crime.
If silencers are available to criminals, they’ll use them.
The gun lobby likes to argue that because silencers are so rarely used in crime, they no longer need regulation. Law enforcement officers across the country will tell you the opposite.
The reason why silencers aren’t used more often in crime is because effective regulation has been keeping silencers out of the hands of criminals. Why would a criminal want to use a weapon that could be traced back to them? But, in instances when silencers are used in crimes, the results are particularly deadly.
Do you remember the news stories about Christopher Dorner? He was a Los Angeles Police Department officer who had been let go from his job. Upset after having been fired, Dorner targeted law enforcement officers in what the Police Foundation described as a bizarre act of vengeance — a “gang-style hit” on innocent people sitting in a car. He murdered four people and wounded several others. Police were initially puzzled as to why no neighbors heard the 14 shots: it was because Dorner used a silencer.
Silencers have been effectively regulated through the National Firearms Act (NFA) for over 80 years. Currently there are well over 900,000 silencers registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). If silencers were removed from the NFA’s purview, they would be treated like any other firearm and could be sold through unlicensed, private sales without a background check at gun shows and on the internet. Criminals, domestic abusers, and the dangerously mentally ill would be able to easily obtain them. The background check loophole is a deadly problem with our gun laws, and widening that loophole to include silencers would recklessly endanger public safety.
The bottom line…
Today silencers are reasonably regulated, readily available, and rarely used in crime. That could all change if the gun lobby continues to put profits over public safety and push to deregulate silencers. This would endanger lives — particularly those of law enforcement.
Learn more about the Gun Lobby’s Agenda
- Fact Sheet: Federally Mandated Concealed Carry
- Fact Sheet: Gutting Federal Regulation of Silencers
- Fact Sheet: Repealing the Gun Free School Zones Act
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About Us: Americans for Responsible Solutions and the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence are committed to advancing commonsense change that makes communities safer from gun violence. We provide expertise in firearms litigation, lead grassroots coalitions, and educate the public on the proven solutions to America’s gun violence epidemic.
