Another argument in favor of suppressors & HPA

[MachIVshooter]

It's an issue that occasionally comes up on this board: Pregnant women and shooting. We have generally advised that it's not a great idea, especially after the first trimester. The womb is protective, but sound pressure waves penetrate and propagate in the fluid and flesh with relative ease.

Though hardly a personal epiphany, it never really occurred to me to post about it until I was loading up this morning for a range day with the wife and kids. We shoot mostly suppressed anyway, but in her present 21-week condition, it's really the only way she can shoot without risking damage to our coming daughter's developing ears. There's nothing else that can be done to protect a child in the womb from such noises without mom simply having to refrain from this family activity.

Obviously there's nothing that can be done about others shooting unsuppressed, but for those of us who use private ranges or our own land where we can control that variable, the use of suppressors allows a woman in the 2nd or 3rd trimester to continue practicing or shooting recreationally.

 

[Mousegun]

And keeps old dudes like me a little less hard of hearing. I need every ear follicle I can save.

 

[MachIVshooter]

And keeps old dudes like me a little less hard of hearing. I need every ear follicle I can save.

Right, and we've long (relatively speaking) touted the benefits of suppressors for everyone, but those of us with birth certificates can protect our ears in other ways, albeit less practical than reducing the report in the first place. But you can't put earmuffs on an unborn child. To the same end, ear plugs and muffs pretty much never fit young kids well, either.

We here all know that the only downside to suppressors (aside from cost) is the added length and weight. It's helpful, though, for debating the opposition to point out that suppressors act to protect everyone, including those not participating in shooting but nearby, and those who have not yet taken their first breaths. Of course, there is a significant portion of the population who do not consider the unborn to be people, but I don't think their argument would be well received in any capacity here.

 

[somethingbenign]

I'm actually going to use this with my family who are middle of the road than avid opposers to firearms. With as many little ones we have popping up it should resonate. Thanks.

 

[Odd Job]

There is one other downside to suppressors: increased blow back of residues into the action, particularly when shooting rimfire.
On my rifles I noticed increased residues throughout the action and even in the magazine.
Needs more frequent cleaning!

The unfortunate side effect of increased blow back is more residues available to be inhaled at the shooter's position.
I am wondering how much this contributes to increased serum lead levels, particularly those who shoot a lot of rimfire suppressed.

 

[ontarget]

Doesn't seem like we should need an excuse to use a suppressor but that is as good a reason as any. Hopefully some day they will come off the list.

 

[Hokie_PhD]

Doesn't seem like we should need an excuse to use a suppressor but that is as good a reason as any. Hopefully some day they will come off the list.

I agree.
I find it ironic that many of the same people that complain about the noise of Harleys argue that we shouldn’t be allowed to use suppressors to reduce the noise of guns. Of course I shouldn’t be as the real issue is disarming us and not giving us any wins.

Personally I think we need to flip the argument and teach that suppressors aren’t silencers and what is shown in movies isn’t always real. When people say suppressors shouldn’t be removed from regulation, we should say then that we should remove the mufflers on our cars and trucks. Yes, this is a ridiculous argument, but if done well it shows the stupidity of the argument of regulating suppressors.

 

[MachIVshooter]

Personally I think we need to flip the argument and teach that suppressors aren’t silencers and what is shown in movies isn’t always real.

Yes, people who have never been exposed are surprised at how loud the report still is. 125-140 dB is far from quiet, easily audible from quite some distance in almost any environment. Good .22 cans are "movie quiet", and I built an integral bolt .22 with which the snap of the firing pin is as loud as the shot (the universal reaction to that one has been a giggle and wide smile), but anything else and especially supersonic rifle rounds generally shock the uninitated who are expecting the baby sneeze sound used by Hollywood.

 

[CapnMac]

There's probably a good component in that, to a hoodlum, a pregnant woman might seem to be defenseless, vulnerable; a victim.
(Which clearly indicates they've never been between a pregnant woman and a bathroom.)
A pregnant woman is protecting two people, which ought to be reason enough.

 

[FL-NC]

I suffer from a considerable amount of hearing loss as well as TBI (traumatic brain injuries- 3 seperate events) as a result of my military service. IMO, people with similar ailments should be able to obtain them in a more efficient manner after meeting the requirements. I have been awaiting a tax stamp for well over a year to date. More than 1 doctor has told me that using suppressors would be beneficial to me given my conditions.

 

[denton]

If OSHA regulated firearms, suppressors would be mandatory.

 

[Tirod]

It was written up a few years back that South Korea would be issuing a silencer to every soldier in it's army, sourced from a US maker. Yet we don't have them for all of our troops, and certainly nothing done to make it happen. In 22 years I never saw a service silencer in person, ever. IN OD MP Rtd USAR.

Our uniforms at one time included wearing a container for ear plugs AT ALL TIMES yet that has even passed away. As time went by there was less and less reinforcement of hearing protection. In the service it would seem to be a good thing to issue them along WITH ammo to ensure coverage. We hand out free locks for guns, who hands out free ear pro with a box of ammo?

I'm not saying there should be a law, but if you opened a box of 50 and found 48 and two foam plugs, knowing they would be there, how would you react to that? Do gooder corporate profiteering or a genuine attempt at hearing preservation?

I'm on board that silencers should be a freely trafficked commodity available anywhere. Even a gas station silencer would be better than no silencer, no, I won't touch sushi there. The entire scam needs to go away. Nonetheless we are approaching that time when it can and will happen - chipping away at the '34 NFA one increment at a time is how our enemies try to control us. Keep supporting the plan. We got to near universal CCW this way and it's standing on the threshold, too.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

The unfortunate side effect of increased blow back is more residues available to be inhaled at the shooter's position.
I am wondering how much this contributes to increased serum lead levels, particularly those who shoot a lot of rimfire suppressed.

Particularly, pregnant women.

 

[Odd Job]

To be fair, I shoot a large quantity of suppressed .22 because I am testing suppressors. One of those suppressors has had 32,000 rounds through it since January 2016 and I have fired thousands of rounds through other suppressors in that same period.
I'm due another serum test. The last one had me at the upper limit of normal range but that was at least a year ago.

 

[MachIVshooter]

To be fair, I shoot a large quantity of suppressed .22 because I am testing suppressors. One of those suppressors has had 32,000 rounds through it since January 2016 and I have fired thousands of rounds through other suppressors in that same period.
I'm due another serum test. The last one had me at the upper limit of normal range but that was at least a year ago.

Yeah..........in her case we're talking a couple hundred rounds, mostly centerfire, in outings that are separated by several weeks. Also shooting outdoors, and usually have a pretty good breeze out here carrying everything away quickly.

Lead exposure is certainly no good for us, but the risks are pretty low for the casual shooter, especially if using uncovered private outdoor ranges.

I don't even worry about my lead levels. I'm much more concerned with the harmful chemical and smoke vapors from cleaning solvents and burning lubricants that I'm exposed to daily. Also a lot of noise pollution in my work environment that I wish I'd been more aware of when I was younger. Many of the noises in my shop fall between suppressed and unsuppressed gunshots. A hammer hitting a steel part to break it loose can easily exceed 140 dB, and though I haven't metered it, I'm sure my big lathe running at higher speeds is in the 120 range.