While anti-gun advocates opposed to the Hearing Protection Act have made every attempt to muddy the waters by claiming that silencers are used by hit men and are common in other crimes, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) just released statistics showing suppressors (called silencers by some, even though they are not silent) are used in just a tiny fraction of crimes.
According to a report in the Washington Free Beacon, there are currently about 1.3 million firearm suppressors legally owned in the United States—up about 400,000 since last year. But ATF reports that the agency has only recommended prosecutions for 44 suppressor-related crimes per year over the past decade.
Do that math, and that’s about .003 percent of suppressors used in crimes each year. In truth, the Hearing Protection Act really is designed to protect the hearing of shooters and hunters. Now those opposing the measure have lost their favorite excuse—that deregulating suppressors will increase crime.
