From: ems@michael.apple.com (E. Michael Smith)
Newsgroups: rec.guns
Subject: Re: REQUEST for Texas handgun law info
Date: 14 Sep 92 19:16:04 GMT
Organization: Apple Computer Inc, Cupertino, CA

In article <88741@netnews.upenn.edu> lobaugh@a.chem.upenn.edu (John Lobaugh) writes:
#
#In article <9209112226.AA64732@yuma.ACNS.ColoState.EDU> ildiko@lamar.ColoState.EDU writes:
#
##Are silencers illegal in every country, or just the US?

##[MODERATOR:  By "illegal" let us read "heavily regulated", since
##of course one can legally obtain a suppressor after enough background
##check, tax and administrative nonsense.....]
#
#I am a complete novice. Why would you want to own a silencer?

They don't really 'silence', that is the stuff of movies, they turn
a tremendous bang into a quieter bang.

Why do I want one?  (and I do ...)  Because about 10 years ago I 
suffered considerable hearing loss in an accidental explosion.  
Through great personal pain and lots of $$$ I got some of it restored
(by surgical reconstruction of eardrums), but still have ringing
that is GREATLY aggrivated by any sound over 80 db.  I WILL suffer
more permanent and damaging hearing loss (addional nerve deffeness)
any time I'm exposed to ANY gunfire without double hearing protection
(both plugs AND muffs).

Even with both plugs and muffs major calibre weapons cause mild
increases in ringing and some additional hearing loss.  I allow 
myself one round per decade or so of something like .308 NATO.

I would like to be able to shoot something other than 'minor' loads.
(i.e. I wish I could shoot .308 NATO or .30-'06 or ...)

I would like to be able to shoot without needing to stop after 1 hour.

It would be nice to have the option of choosing to use a gun for 
home defense without having to choose deafness as an inevitable 
consquence.  (I presume the 'bad guy' won't wait for me to find
and install BOTH my plugs and my muffs... and even if I could, this
presents a terrible tactical disadvantage ...

Why do I want OTHERS to have one?  So I don't have to keep moving 
to the far end of the firing line each time another person shows up
and sets up next to me with a decent hunting gun...

I would like to be able to shoot with less risk to my hearing from 
forgetting to put the muffs back on (or not getting them back on fast
enough) after the cease fire ends.

I just don't like noise and noise pollution, in any case.

My local range had the mountain next to them stolen (well, it was
actually legally mined away ...) and has had to install a BUNCH of
sound walls and sound absorptive 'tunnels' and other sound suppression
junk so the new 'neighbors' don't complain as much about the noise.
This range may have to close, even though they were there befor the 
mining and before the houses that were 'behind the hill' were built
(and before they became sound neighbors due to mining ...).  I would
like to continue shooting at this range.  I would like to be able to 
stop the sound most efficiently.  It makes little sense to build a 
sound supressor the size of a car (due to the need to have it be
a tunnel at the shooting station) when it COULD have been more
effective as a small tube on the gun... and kept the sound out of
MY ears to boot!

Other than that, not much ... ;-)

I guess the short answer is:  Because noise is bad.

-- 

E. Michael Smith  ems@apple.COM

'Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.  Boldness has
 genius, power and magic in it.'  -  Goethe

I am not responsible nor is anyone else.  Everything is disclaimed.