Questions about gun silencers

[Warloc730]

Last night I was looking at a strange site with a bunch of books on the many ways of being a criminal.

In a small blurb about one of the books on how to make gun silencers I noticed that it said that silencers are illegal unless you have a license to have one from the BATF.

So here are the questions...

1. Can this license be given to regular citizens?

2. How would anybody who has such a license ever use it for legal means (I'm thinking that regular citizens wouldn't be allowed to use them, how would LEOs use them?)?

3. What would a usual penalty be for having an illegal silencer?

4. Would a disposable silencer such as a hollowed potato (not actually used in a killing) count? Even if you were just testing out just how "silent" they can be?

5. Have you ever found a silencer on someone?

Thanks,

- War

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"When all is said and done, more is said than done."

[Niteshift]

1. Yes. If they go through the licensing process, pay the fees and follow all the applicable regs. Then, it's still not a slam-dunk.

2. Yes. There are rare legal reasons why you would need one. For example, killing a dangerous animal in a populated area. A professional trapper etc. may want to do that without attracting much attention. Also, if discharging the firearm will be necessary in an enclosed area. LEO's, who can obtain them much easier, have more uses for them. One example would be silencing a guard dog while trying to maintain the element of suprise on a hostage rescue.

3. I forget off the top of my head. It is a felony.

4. Depending on the circumstances, it could. A lot of it will also depend on the jurisdiction and how they view them.

5. On them, no. In their van, yes.

BTW, silencer is kind of a misnomer. Suppressor is the correct term.


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Niteshift-
Perseverate In Pugna

[This message has been edited by Niteshift (edited 09-23-2000).]