Data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives showed that noise suppressors — frequently used in sporting events to protect hearing — “are seldom used in crime,” according to a report by NPR, which is anything but a pro-gun news outlet.
“From 2012-15, 390 silencers were recovered from crime scenes where an ATF trace was requested,” the leftist news outlet reported, relying on data it obtained from the ATF’s website. “During that same period, more than 600,000 pistols were recovered.”
In other words, only 0.065 percent of the weapons recovered from the scenes of robberies, murders and other crimes involved these devices.
This was one important reason why the GOP-led Congress has begun to pursue the deregulation of “silencers” — which according to NPR were “one of the most heavily regulated products in the gun industry” — by moving forward with a bill dubbed the Hearing Protection Act.
The bill would make the process of purchasing a suppressor similar to the one used to obtain a hunting rifle, removing a lengthy nine-month waiting period and nixing unnecessary fees.
As noted by McClatchy, supporters correctly argued that passage of the bill “would guard the hearing of millions of hunters who don’t use earmuffs or plugs to shield their ears from their guns’ loud reports, which have been proved to cause hearing loss,” by making it easier for them to obtain suppressors.
And yet, despite facts such as these, there was a concerted effort by liberal legislators and gun-control groups to stop Congress from passing this bill.
“This act is reckless,” whined David Chipman, a senior policy adviser at former Rep. Gabby Giffords’ gun control group, Americans for Responsible Solutions. “And it’s a threat to public safety.”
The facts strongly suggested otherwise. But judging by the ARS’ tweets, the group did not care much for facts.
Take a look:
Arguing that “(s)ilencers do not protect your hearing” is akin to arguing that oven gloves do not protect your hands. It’s so factually inaccurate as to just be dumb.
The same applies to the phony contention that deregulated suppressors would be bought up in droves by criminals. Excuse us for asking this for the umpteenth time, but when have criminals ever cared about regulations or the law?
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