From sonic boom to light whisper: Texas legalizes silencers for hunting

[Johnny Rico]

http://www.news-journal.com/news/local/from-sonic-boom-to-light-whisper-texas-legalizes-silencers-for/article_38aec70d-35b4-5db8-8be5-7abd8cf89c62.html

Hunters can put their ear muffs and plugs away — if they’re patient and can afford to buy a silencer. Gun suppressors were legalized in late March, for hunting game animals, game birds and alligators. The law goes into effect Sept. 1, with the opening of dove season.

“Suppressors are already legal for hunting exotic animals, including feral hogs,” said Scott Vaca, assistant chief of wildlife enforcement with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Vaca helped develop the proposal for the regulation change.

Although the change opens the use of suppressors to a wider variety of animals, it does not change the tedious process people have to go through to get and keep the permit to use a firearm silencer.

(more at link)



The backlash continues...

[slackmaster]

1. They should be REQUIRED for hunting and outdoor target shooting near populated areas

[Xela]

23. Excellent idea

I agree with slackmaster.

Nothing beats noise pollution like silencers.

Xela

[PavePusher]

2. Everyone who believes suppressors should be illegal....

should be removing the mufflers from all their vehicles.

No excuses.

[Paladin]

19. Find A Good Ointment For That Stretch. Must Be Painful. (n/t)

[PavePusher]

20. "Stretch", how? Explain, please. n/t

[kayakjohnny]

3. Just in time for the drones!

You rock, Texas!

[ileus]

4. Congrats our Texan friends...

Of course I doubt many people will be outfitting their dove guns with mufflers.


But for the varmint, hog, coyote, and deer hunters out there this is a great thing.



It is also great for someone to SBR their favorite AR (subsonic 300blk) and use it as a home defense firearm.

[GreenStormCloud]

5. Silencers do NOT reduce to a "light whisper"

That reporter has watched too many movies. For an accurate treatment of silencers in a movie watch The Manchurian Candidate. It is an old movie, in B&W, but the silenced gun goes "Bang", not "Phhfftt." A silenced gun is still loud, just not super loud.

This action is a good thing. Eventually it will lead to pressure to allow suppressors to be an over-the-counter purchase.

[Johnny Rico]

6. Oh, granted...but how much accuracy can you expect from the mainstream press on guns?

Of course, a suppressed .22 rifle with subsonic ammo can be very quiet...but the story is talking about big game rifles!

[applegrove]

7. That is ridiculous. We knew not to go into the woods as kids in the fall when hunters were

about. But the sound of shots really brought it home for us and made us especially careful.

[gejohnston]

8. You will still hear them

and I doubt very many take the time to endure the four month long background check, $200 transference tax, and registration required under National Firearms Act of 1934.
What did you do as kids during bow season? Always wear bright red (on culture shock: I found in Florida, their hunting regulations allow shit that would never fly out west. From the unsafe, like Floridians wearing camo while hunting, to the just fucked up like baiting and using dogs to chase deer.)

[longship]

9. Anybody for this isn't thinking straight

I live in the midst of the Nat'l Forest in MI. I unequivocally support gun ownership rights and hunting rights. (Everybody who lives here does. We've all hit too many stupid white tails on the road. Amazing, those slow turkeys always manage to get out of the way.)

But suppressors are a galactically stupid idea during hunting season. An analogy from the animal world might be helpful here. A bear marks its territory so that other bears will be less likely to infringe. This undoubtedly saves a lot of bear fights.

Hunters, when they hear a 30-06 they know where another hunter is. Furthermore, any experienced hunter knows how far away that other guy is. They know that to traipsing off in that direction might get one shot. Basic hunting safety.

Suppressing the report is going to get people shot. I want to hear the shots. That tells me stay away and leave the fella or gal alone.

[gejohnston]

10. It would be interesting to see how many

accidents Finland and France have. They require silencers in some areas.

[longship]

11. France would be interesting; Finland irrelevant

The population density in France and it also has higher urbanization. Finland has a small population and lots of rural spaces north of the urban areas. Hell, you could probably hike in northeastern Finland for days and never see anybody.

But the France info would be interesting, and European countries tend to keep very good records.

Good idea.

[gejohnston]

13. picked my country

you could probably hike in northeastern Finland for days and never see anybody.

to head for if the right wing manages to turn the US into a total dystopia. Norway would be another.

[longship]

14. My mother was a Suomilainen

My father, a Norwegian.

Sorry, all I can say is Bïva-Bïva. (sp?)
Plus a lot of bad words.

[Clames]

15. Well you obviously aren't spending....

...a lot of time thinking this through. Let's start with your point on Finland's population density: you say you live in the middle of a forest....think about that for a few more minutes. As for needing to hear the shots, you still will. Especially with standard hunting rifle ammo that is super sonic. None of your points have factual or logical support here. Think about the physics first and forget about the pearls.

[petronius]

12. You'll still hear them. My (superficial) google-age suggests that a typical

hunting rifle shot is ~150+ decibels, and average suppressors will reduce that by ~30 dB. That still leaves it above the range of chain saws, car horns, hammer-on-nail, etc...

[PavePusher]

17. See post #2 and #16. n/t

[slackmaster]

21. By the time you hear a shot from a .30-'06, it's already travelled far enough to have killed...

...you.

[ileus]

22. Confusing small game hunting and target shooting...

with large game/ large caliber firearms, seems to be a pretty common occurrence.


A guy with a suppressor on his 308 deer hunting shoots once. 5 guys dove hunting with shotguns shoot dozens of times.


My son shot one time this past deer season....Blaze orange is still the best way of seeing other hunters in the woods. Relying on them to shoot in order to know where they're located doesn't happen in real life.

[PavePusher]

16. See post #2.

Then do some research on suppressors and their actual capabilities.

[ileus]

18. Hearing shots really only counts in small game and shotguns.

Most big game hunting results in one maybe two shots with the background being the earth. When you hear the shot for the most part hunting is over for that lucky hunter.

The only time you hear groups of shots is when small game is being hunted, 50 or 60 yards away and you're safe. Flying birds, squirrels, fast running small critters...