Judge to ATF: Knock it off
The ATF has a history of changing rules and regs (and, essentially, gun law) because they feel like it. A judge has come down on them for it. Once before, ATF said if it’s not a A, B, C, or D, it’s an AOW and a judge struck that down too.
March 24th, 2014 at 3:44 pm
Given that 18 USC 921 says The terms “firearm silencer” and “firearm muffler” mean any device for silencing, muffling, or diminishing the report of a portable firearm […]”, I don’t see why BATFE doesn’t just do a quick test with some sound-level measurement equipment.
Well, assuming they actually cared about merely enforcing the law and doing their jobs, that is.
You’d think that with some microphones and some A/B testing in an anechoic chamber (or even just in a big room, since we’re concerned with deltas, not absolutes) it would be trivial to fairly and decently determine “does this object make this gun [meaningfully]* quieter”?
(* Plain intent suggests that Congress was not after devices that coincidentally reduced volume by one or two dB – not even really detectable by way, but which, given vagarities and ammunition and microphone placement, might show up on such a test without any real “diminishing the report” at all.
Anything actually intended to be a suppressor would have an obvious and unmistakeable effect on sound production.)
March 24th, 2014 at 4:57 pm
The ATF has been engaged in a struggle for relevance and legitimacy since its inception in the 1930s, which is pretty difficult being as it never had any.
It’s well past time we got rid of that relic of Prohibition, and all other Progressive/authoritarian relics of the FDR era.