Many people don’t realize how many technological advancements are developed for the military and other government programs before they move into common usage for the general public’s benefit. The number of items is simply staggering. This story may not be about something that was developed specifically for the government, but this proposal, if approved, may make this a widely available option to the general public who purchase firearms.
What is happening is that the leadership of the U.S. Marines have decided that they want integrated suppressors on their firearms.
Now, while suppressors aren’t anything new, much of the general public still thinks of these items as an option that a hit man attaches to a pistol so that he isn’t heard when he shoots someone (too many James Bond movies). This isn’t an accurate portrayal of suppressors, but they do serve the purpose of making the firearm quieter while shooting, and the Marines believe this quieter shooting has other advantages, too. Matthew Moss writes,
The Corps believes that suppressors improve the command and control of units during firefights, allow for tactical innovation and increase a squad’s ability to operate stealthily
[colonel mike] Manning declined to go into detail on what the RFI might call for or just how many integrally suppressed Rifles the Corps may want. The 2nd Marine Division has been testing commercially available suppressors at the battalion level for some time and the Corps seems to be interested in refining their deployment.
“The advantages to that integration are immediate,” Manning explained, “quit throwing it on the end so that now we have a 14-and-a-half inch barrel or a 16-inch barrel. We just added four or five inches to that barrel.”
Regardless of what the Marines decide to go with, it will be interesting to see the impact on the firearms industry, whether integrated suppressors will become a readily available purchase option. Keep your eyes open. If you’ve been wanting a suppressor, they may become easier than ever to get your hands on.
Lets all hope this gets wide reception. This needs to be allowed for civilians too.
Suppressor’s have nothing to do with A bullet hitting someone or making a kill. It does have everything to do with the noise levels that allows military personnel as well as hunters to save they’re hearing and to hear commands being barked at them in a firefight . I dont know why suppressor’s are considered dangerous when using one just helps a shooter other than hurt a shooter by reducing noise levels. I’d like a Democrate or a left-wing radical moron tell me how suppressor’s are dangerous, how they hurt someone? Ya can’t can you, Exactly , that’s what I thought !! Why dont all you ignorant bleeding hearts who tries to play god with my constitutional rights go learn the real facts, who in the hell do you think you are trying to control me and my life? Your a nothing no body that needs to shut your fucking mouth and start supporting our President so he can continue to do the job he was elected to do, make America great again !
That’s right, I have ringing in my ears from shooting without hearing protecting. Had I known when I was younger I would have wore ear protecting!
100% correct. We need term limits , not career politicians. Get rid of the obstructionists and the communists in Congress. When politicians are found to be corrupt they must pay like the rest of us. How the hell can a man have a private meeting in a plane with the Attorney General when his wife is facing a Federal Indictment ? My GOD these people need to be in prison.
Mitch and Paul think they are teaching ” We the People” a lesson for electing a President who was not one of them. To all the Obstructionists in the Congress and Senate I say this, You will be voted out of office , Republican and Democrat alike. It is time to Drain the Swamp and time for the American People to take the Country back from the communists , leftists and the corrupt. Pray forAmerica
It also has another military purpose: to reduce the flame emitted by the barrel when a round is discharged. The enemy CAN see those flashed, ya know.
Yeh Verily, you speak the truth! The only negative impact of the use of suppressors is political – period !!
Correct, I have a severe hearing loss now, was a moderate loss when I was a child. Loud noises did not help with hearing loss even with old fashion hearing aids. Modern hearing Aids are an improvement but I am still skeptical. You DO NOT know what it is like to have severe hearing loss until it happens. Hearing can be difficult in some ordinary conversations even with hearing aids. I can not hear much at all without hearing aids. Yes I have ringing in my ears also when not wearing them.
Do all the silencers being considered, require reduced velocity ammo?
No.
I believe this MAN has something, it makes common sense and that is what this country has thrown away. While we are at it; let’s make it a law that every able-bodied MAN in the country must have at least one weapon on hand and be able to defend his family, his life and ultimately HIS COUNTRY!!!!!!
Amen , you hit it right on the head. Every MAN should be able to provide shelter , food and protection for his family. This is how it was from the beginning in Biblical times. Every human that lives in the United States should honor our Veterans , our Flag and our Constitution . We also have to defend the United States from all enemies both Foreign and DOMESTIC. Many elected to the Senate and Congress are enemies of our Democracy. Make the Congress and McCain use obamacare and it would be thrown out in a week. Term Limits may help to stop some of the corruption that exists in
the Halls of Congress but when the Department of Justice is full of corruption , when the CIA and the FBI are run by dirty cops and when the corrupt political figures of the day are not charged and mock the laws of the country, when there exists a different system of justice for the rich and famous, something stinks and we better pray for our Country.
The left wing needs to learn how to fire a weapon before they condemn them. I believe that all of this has to be a reluctance to embrace the idea of gun ownership because they are afraid of them. These same people want someone else detailed to protect their backsides and not do it themselves. Then they turn around and bad-mouth the police and military every chance they get. This is a discussion that really should not be taking place, to begin with. There are a lot more important conversations that should be on going. One last thought, if the citizens in the U. S. are unable to buy a gun, then it is of no great consequence to make one. Have the over 70 crowd forgotten about the hoods and the “zip” guns of the 50’s and 60’s? The real problem in the world is the world wide internet. You can learn bomb making, gun altering, radicalized, discussions between nefarious groups. Our internet should be only for the U S. and not include the rest of the world. How can you prosecute someone in their pajamas that is hacking or performing other criminal acts in another country that you cannot even pronounce. Wake up America!!!
In Europe with their tight restrictions on firearms, they nonetheless look upon suppressors as being polite to those around you in hunting and shooting sports situations. Our own Hearing Protection Act bill making it’s way through Congress is taking this tack. Weapons will still have a loud report, but it will be below the threshold of that which cause permanent hearing damage. This is a good thing, and unlike Hollywood, does not make the gun silent.
The lack of knowledge concerning sound suppressors is wide spread; most people have never used a sound suppressor, and that includes shooters. The physics are simple – the sound suppressor reduces the report of the firearm – it does not eliminate the report (sound). When I am conducting handgun instruction, I usually equip one handgun with a sound suppressor so a first time shooter will experience REDUCED report and recoil from the handgun so they get past their preconceived belief the handgun will be devastatingly loud and physically difficult to control. 5 to 7 rounds and then the suppressor is removed so they can experience the difference and move on to ‘normal’…this technique works especially well with women and men that have no experience with firearms.
Unfortunately, most people believe a sound suppressor eliminates the report because that’s what they see in the movies and on television, but that is not reality. Discharge a medium to large caliber firearm equipped with a good quality sound suppressor in a large room and anyone present that is not familiar with the device will be shocked by the loud report. Politicians and main stream media ‘personalities’ bloviate about sound suppressors without knowing the details…who should you believe – your damn lying ears or the talking heads?
The Marine Corps is on the right track – anyone who has ever been in a gun fight without having the opportunity to put in ear plugs knows that you end up becoming near deaf after 7-10 rounds fired rapidly…and that doesn’t account for your ‘friends’ on either side of you shooting. A good move by the Marine Corps. Fire team and squad leaders will have better control, platoon commanders/sergeants will be able to be heard…
BTW, the impact on bullet ballistics is minimal.
I’m retired Air Force, live in Las Vegas and am glad that the weapons that Paddock used in the Mandalay Bay massacre didn’t have silencers on them. It was hard enough for law enforcement to isolate his location even without silencers muffling the sound and the tracer rounds that he was using. How many more people would have died? But, as a guy who just bought a Glock recently for personal security, I wonder how many firearms the ATF allows a person to buy in a short period of time? I read that Paddock had bought 30 or more firearms over the period of about 6 months. That sounds over the top to me and I can’t understand why this didn’t raise red flags at the ATF purchase approval line?
I have a partial hearing loss from years of shooting and only began wearing the
over-the-ear protection about five years ago. It’s been two years since I began to
using the foam ear inserts as well. It’s not too bad with my 9mm now, but larger
calibers are still too loud. I wish I could’ve been using a suppressor all this time!
And hunting, I wear no ear protection in order to hear the game approach. This is
another place where I’d appreciate having a suppressor.
Check out the “Militia Act of 1792”
Kind is the same allowing for a citizen Militia all white males over 18. Then amended in 1865(I believe) to include Black males also.
If you have ever fired a subsonic 22 semi auto pistol, you will note that while not completely silent it is very quiet compared to unsuppressed shots. Unfortunately with hypersonic rounds the sound barrier being broken by the round passing through the air causes quite a racket.
Yeah, maybe a suppressor on a .45 might be a good match up but probably not on the rifles.
Would such a device diminish the accuracy of the M40 etc. That was an issue when I was a young Marine and still might be the case.
Since I am in Illinois, I do not have ready access to suppressors but I have looked into the issue and it seems that the old technology with rubber baffles where the cause of the inaccuracy with the devises.
In Jolly Old England, apart from pretty much being a Totalitarian Police State ruled by insane Mudslide contractors, the use of suppressors for small game hunting and target shooting…with firearms the poor Brits are still permitted to own…is fairly common and considered polite and considerate of one’s neighbors, min keeping the noise down.
Here, Big Media/Big Gubbamint generated hysteria dating back to the 1920s and 1930s STILL persists and is no less ridiculous.
I would like suppressors on all of my guns. The report of the gun bothers me and terrifies my dog. I don’t have them because the paperwork is a pain in the butt!
I have had experience with suppressed weapons, and the misconception that a suppressor silences a gun are Hollywood hype. Behind the gun there is a noticed reduction of sharp sound, but to the side or in front of the weapon there is very little difference, except in the sharp ear damaging blast. The only weapon I ever saw that was really silenced was a .22 short pistol. The .22 was unwieldy with the suppressor attached, the suppressor being longer than the gun itself. With the .22 short round the sound dissipated enough that you could hear the last of the slide cycle, and since the bullet was traveling so slow part of the time you could hear the bullet hit the target. The combination was, in my opinion worthless except for the purpose it was intended, which was to quietly shoot out street lights when they would have back lighted police officers in a barricaded suspect scenario. Even then, if the suspect was listening closely it could be heard, but almost impossible to pinpoint the location of the officer firing the weapon.
The biggest challenge will be overcoming heat dissipation. Heat from a round being fired is tremendous with just one in itself let alone a weapon system firing multiple rounds at a time such as clearing a hostile environment ( room, building, etc…). Unlike in the movies after firing multiple rounds at a time from a M16/M4, the barrel can and does become so hot that you can literally light a cigarette on the barrel of which I have actually done.
Cigarettes kill more people than guns do. Be careful!
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