Silencers
Dec18
Quiet!
I know that some people are utterly twitching over my repeated use of “silencer” in favor of “suppressor.” Personally, I don’t see the difference. They both mean the same thing – one is just the non-tech term for something that’s already in the public mindset.
And yes, I realize I’m being hypocritical because I do twitch as the Magazine/Clip thing. I don’t froth, but I do correct people. And there are people who correct folks who say “silencer,” but oh hey, look over there! A shiny thing!
I am posting this video for reasons that will become apparent in the comic within two weeks…
“Clip” has a meaning. Actually, it has more than one, because it means something specific in a firearms context, and something related but different in a non-firearms context. A magazine matches neither the firearms meaning nor the more mainstream one.
“Silencer” and “suppressor” aren’t used outside of a firearms context. And they mean the same thing, in one. (One could argue that “silencer” implies that it renders a gun’s operation silent, when it doesn’t. But an analogous argument could be made against “suppressor”, so one ought to be careful, there.)
Perhaps we should just start calling them “mufflers” instead. It’s a much more informative term than either “suppressor” or “silencer”, as the most common mundane analogy is a car part, which not only does exactly the same job to almost exactly the same degree of overall effectiveness, but in almost exactly the same physical way. Indeed, it would not be overstating the case to say that it’s not even really an analogy but merely the correct application of an existing mundane term to the exact same item, shrunk down and screwed onto the end of a gun.
But I’m not trying to start a crusade, or anything. 🙂
I like this idea. It also makes them less a tool of snipers and assassins just the thing you put on the end so it’s not as noisy.
2:26 o_O :O
Also totally seconding the “muffler” suggestion.
Funnily enough, the Brits call the muffler on a car the “silencer”.
Silencer or suppressor, personally, I could really care less either way. I still have fond memories of Sledge Hammer’s “Loudener.” (If you can remember the band .38 Special, you can remember Sledge Hammer)
There is one sporting use I can think of for a suppressed (happy now?) .22, and the Europeans have it. Hunting small game. Muffling the sound would help keep from spooking other squirrels, prairie dogs, etc in the hunting grounds. It’s also kinder to neighbors’ ears.
Granted, you could do the same thing with a .22 air gun. It doesn’t need a silencer (gotcha) and you don’t need a federal permit.
In my home town of Livermore, I met someone contracted by a local church to take out pigeons with a pellet gun after school hours. It was quite quiet and he was pretty good at it. One bird would look over and think “that’s odd, Bob just dropped off the roof.” The funny misfortune came when an uninformed local mistook him for a sniper (well, he was wearing camouflage, stalking prey and holding a scoped air rifle). The Livermore SWAT team was called in and thankfully they took him alive, but it was quite an embarrassment for all.
heh heh nice save heidi ;)LOL
This is something that I wish we would take a nod from Europe on. There suppressors are required in many areas to hunt…
Federal law actually defines them as “silencers”, not suppressors. Silencer was the traditional terminology, even if they don’t SILENCE anything.
So you are correct in your usage.
Actually, the higher powered air rifles DO benefit from a suppressor, and I’ve seen European imports that come stock with one fitted. A grey area in US law. Now that you can buy a pre charged pneumatic air rifle in .45 or 50 cal that has as much muzzle energy as a .45 ACP out of a 1911, I don’t expect the Gov’t. to leave it grey much longer…