The People of the Gun consider the Hearing Protection Act low-hanging legislative fruit. Who could oppose a bill making it easier for American to protect their hearing with suppressors? Gun control advocates, of course! Because guns. OK, they do have some logic . . .
First, lets give ARS credit for reducing their opposition to HPA to a meme and a tweet, rather than a position paper or press release. While I suspect those are forthcoming, if you can’t lay out your case in 140 characters of less, why bother? Now . . .
According to the Mark Kelley/Gabby Gifford’s Axis of Evil Americans for Final Responsible Solutions, removing barriers to suppressor ownership would make it easier for active shooters to kill people inflict serious harm on our communities without being detected by trained (trained, I tell you!) law enforcement officials.
Huh. And there I was thinking the antis would go all “gang bangers wouldn’t be loud enough to get caught” (as if they ever are) on the bill.
I suppose ARS’s marketing mavens considered that idea racist — suggesting as it does that gang bangers are (at least potentially) sophisticated super-assassins, rather than innocent victims of their upbringing and the cold-hearted capitalist system. Wait. Is it racist to suggest they aren’t?
Anyway, the idea that active shooters using suppressed weapons would be too silent for trained law enforcement professionals (trained, I tell you!) is more than a little loopy. Even if Hollywood has done a great job engendering that belief.
While I wonder about untrained law enforcement professionals, I’m thinking the sounds of people screaming and dying would be enough to draw the attention of trained law enforcement professionals. Or people who aren’t trained law enforcement professionals, being as history tells us that there are virtually never cops within earshot when a spree killing starts (i.e., Ms. Giffords).
But what are we, indeed anyone, to make of their tweet “Silencers do not protect your hearing”? If suppressors make a gun so quiet that trained law enforcement professionals can’t hear them, how could they NOT protect your hearing?
Silencers are too silent! Silencers don’t protect your hearing! Wear ear plugs when active shooters attack! Yeah, I don’t think the civilian disarmament industrial complex really knows how to play this one.
Their argument against hassle-free suppressor purchases should be . . . Did you hear that? I whispered it. Not even trained law enforcement professionals heard it. I’m so bad.