There's Pushback After Virginia Governor Calls For Gun Suppressor Ban

Knox Williams, the President and Executive Director of the American Suppressor Association, attaches a suppressor on a gun at The National Rifle Association in Fairfax, Va.

Just days after the shooting at a Virginia Beach municipal building three weeks ago, Christi Dewar described to NPR her first thoughts as the mass shooting unfolded inside her office building.

"We were sitting at our desk, and there's construction or remodeling going on. And when we heard the first shots, it sounded like a nail gun going off," Dewar said.

One reason Dewar may have mistaken gun fire for nail gun pops is the gunman was using a silencer.

A silencer, referred to by many in the gun industry as a suppressor, is a detachable accessory that moderates and reduces the sound of a fire arm when it's discharged.

These devices are emerging as a focal point in the gun debate in Virginia.

Currently Virginia is one of 42 states where it's legal to purchase a silencer. Law enforcement officials say the Virginia Beach gunman obtained his legally.

The state's Democratic Governor included suppressors among the items he wants banned in his push to tighten Virginia's gun laws. Gun violence prevention advocates say the accessories are a public safety risk when used by criminals because it makes it difficult for people to know shots are coming from.

Silencers don't actually 'silence' a discharge

Republicans and the National Rifle Association push back against that assessment — pointing out the benefits of suppressors, including reducing hearing loss for the user and creating less noise pollution for those within earshot of a discharge.

"Suppressors are essentially mufflers for a gun," said Knox Williams, the president and executive director of the American Suppressor Association.

Williams was part of the team of gun experts who spoke with a small group of journalists during a recent suppressor demonstration at the NRA's Northern Virginia headquarters.

Experts say suppressors don't actually "silence" a gun, but rather it reduces the sound by 20-35 decibels.

"We don't think that people who want to exercise their Second Amendment right to shoot, hunt, defend themselves should have to sacrifice their hearing in the process," Williams said.

A recent post by the NRA says "the only way to accurately perceive the difference in sound levels is to hear them in person (with appropriate hearing protection)."

It added a suppressed pistol produces more than 130 decibels, which "is louder than the maximum level of a jackhammer. Not exactly quiet and nothing like a nail gun."

For their demonstration, a mix of handguns and rifles were fired – with and without a suppressor – including a .45-caliber handgun, like one used in the Virginia Beach shooting.

The biggest (and unscientific) takeaway is:

Guns are loud. And a suppressor only changes that to a certain extent.

What does matter though is the proximity to the gun and if you are expecting to hear gunshots in the first place.

At the range, I was ready to hear gunshots.

Sitting at my desk on, like Christi Dewar, the Virginia Beach public works employee was, I would likely not be. That's when gunfire could sound more like nail gun.

"I don't want to engage in any conjecture about exactly the situation and what the person heard," said Josh Savani, the director of Research and Information at the NRA's Institute for Legislative Action.

"You hear a 'pop, pop, pop' sound, you're going to associate that with gunfire whether its suppressed or unsuppressed, at least I think you will," Savani added.

Some say silencers are a public safety risk

Dana Schrad, the executive director of the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police agrees with the NRA that suppressors have their purpose, albeit "in a very limited way."

Using a silencer does preserve law enforcement officers' hearing during firearms training or at a shooting academy. But adds suppressors can be an "enhanced risk" to public safety when used in mass shootings.

"When someone is using a silencer on a weapon it's very difficult to isolate the location of the shooter very accurately or to do so quickly," Schrad said.

David Chipman, a former special agent with ATF, said that the primary use of suppressors is tactical. He's now a senior policy analyst at Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

"The primary purpose is for someone who is on the offensive to maintain the element of surprise longer and if that's the intention of an attacker at a workplace it's really a recipe for disaster," Chipman said.

Virginia's Governor Calling for A Statewide Suppressor Ban

Days after the Virginia Beach shooting, Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam called for lawmakers to change the state's gun laws.

He called for a ban on military style weapons, including bump stocks and suppressors, to reinstate Virginia's one-gun-purchase-a month policy and universal background checks among other things.

Catherine Mortensen is a spokesperson for the NRA's Institute for Legislative Action aid the governor is exploiting a tragedy.

"Not a single one of Gov. Northam's gun control proposals would have prevented what happened at Virginia Beach. That's the bottom line. This is a gun grab by the governor."

Virginia Democrats have been holding forums around the state to drum up support the tighter gun laws, including one Monday night in Hampton about an hour away from Virginia Beach.

If lawmakers approve the suppressor ban during a special legislative session next month, Virginia will join 8 other states and the District of Columbia with similar laws on the books.

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