Milsurp After Hours

As of today, moderators, silencers or suppressors, whatever you want to call them, are no longer a licenceable object in the UK. Up to today, they were treated the same as if it was a complete firearm and subject to a separate entry on your Firearm Certificate. You still have to have a firearm or shotgun certificate to possess one, but now no record kept. Oddly, you could previously have had a moderator for an airgun without any restrictions, but if you screwed an airgun moderator on a .22 rimfire rifle for example, it would be subject to controls. No, there is no logic involved, just politicians. It seems that 33% of items recorded on the Home Office system as firearms are actually moderators. I understand that there have been some recent changes to the rule on moderators in the USA. Did they have the $200 tax stamp or something?
Regards
Peter.

Did a quick Google. The $200 "tax" has gone by the wayside. However silencers are still required to have the federal background check and apparently some wait so many days still applies to some extent. For regular firearms wait or no wait upon approval varies from state to state. In my state, quite gun friendly, no wait past federal approval for dealer to customer transactions and no firearms gun check approval for individual to individual sale. See my gun show post from several years ago.

However:

"Prohibited Jurisdictions: Civilians cannot purchase or possess suppressors in California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia. Hunting Regulations: In the 41 states where ownership is legal, there are sometimes restrictions on using them for hunting. For example, Connecticut allows ownership but prohibits the use of silencers while hunting."

I don't know anybody who has much interest in a silencer in the US. Making a loud noise is part of killing a deer isn't it? I don't recall going to a rifle range and seeing anyone shooting a weapon with a silencer either. I'm kinda surprised to see so much apparent interest in the UK.

Moderators are a very common item in the UK. You won't see many people going out to shoot deer nowadays without a moderator on their rifle. Many of the precision rifle target shooters use moderators. The traditional iron sight target rifle shooters don't use moderators. If you are shooting on our Forestry Commission land, a moderator is compulsory. It is to reduce noise pollution in the countryside and a health and safety matter to help protect the shooter's hearing. I have had a moderator on my Remington 552 .22LR rifle for the last 50 years. A new rifle range has opened here recently at a place called Eaton Hall with 100 and 200 yard ranges and a 300 yard tunnel range. You can't use the range unless you have a moderator fitted to your rifle. A moderator does reduce the muzzle blast a lot and many people find shooting a rifle with a moderator much more pleasant than shooting without one. Of all my rifles, only my .22 Remington Speedmaster and my Remington 700 PCR are threaded for moderators. No moderators on my milsurps of course.
Regards
Peter.

Americans seem to all like noise. The 4th of July is coming up. People who probably never owned a firearm, as well as those that have, are loading up on fireworks. Children set off fireworks as a right of passage.

However, the hearing damage is a real thing. I've been hearing a choir of thousands of crickets in my ears full time for many decades. Probably sound suppressors are a good thing as you point out. Maybe if guns were cars they would all be made with mufflers as a requirement for sale.

"You can legally buy and own a suppressor in Washington State for target shooting, hunting, and home defense.
However, you must comply with federal National Firearms Act (NFA) regulations, which require a background check,
fingerprinting, passport photo, a $200 tax stamp, and approval from the ATF " ..... In other words .... good luck. ..

This state really sucks for owning guns. They have already banned the sale of "assault rifles", to include about everything you
can think of. Also have banned sale of all mags over 10 rounds.
If you already own any "assault rifles" or high cap mags, you can keep them ...... for now. ..

I only live here because my family and friends are here. ..

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