The Left Maintains its Suppressor Paranoia

Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) claims that suppressors make mass public shootings more deadly. Between January 1, 1998 and December 31, 2024, there were 104 mass public shootings, but only two of those involved suppressors (Virginia Beach, Virginia in 2019 and Milwaukee in 2020). The average number of casualties from mass public shootings with suppressors is actually lower than the average without (11 v. 19.8), though the average number of people murdered is exactly the same as (8.5 v. 8.5).

Senator Murphy also claims that suppressors will make it so that "no one will be able to hear the gun shots." But AR-15s or .45 caliber handguns are as quiet as a jackhammer is at close range. Of course, when Senator Murphy says "think of how many more classrooms that shooter can get into, . . . think of how many more rooms in a church that mass murderer might get to," firing a gun within an enclosed space does make the sound of the shot louder and more intense for those inside a building. In an enclosed space (like a room or vehicle), the sound waves from a gunshot rebound off walls and surfaces, amplifying the noise.

Regulations governing firearm suppressors (also known as silencers) vary significantly across Europe, ranging from permissive to very restrictive . . . .