You could say that Hollywood is mainly responsible for maintaining public support for the federal licensing system for silencers, by making suppressed guns look extra special lethal. For example, James Bond dispatched a couple of bodyguards in his last outing with a simple pffft for each baddie. No screaming, no thrashing, no noise to wake their employer — who discovers Bond anyway and chases him through the streets of Paris. Where was I? Suppressor? I just met her! And it seems like she forgot to get dressed this morning. Meanwhile, in Iowa . . .
The bill to legalize [suppressors] was passed through the Iowa Senate on Thursday, March 17, 2016, with a 46 – 4 vote.
Only a small handful of states, including Iowa and Illinois, prohibit suppressors, according to a map [above] from the American Suppressor Association. Other states allow them for hunting.
Needless to say, wqad felt compelled to present the “other side of the story”:
Opponents say silencers are a threat to public safety. The Violence Policy Center says that silencers have been used in violent crimes, and provided a list of incidents in a publication against gun suppressors. Those incidents include a situation where a shooter reportedly killed and injured multiple people, yet no neighbors heard any of the 14 shots that were supposedly fired.
WHO reports that the bill is headed to the Iowa House. If approved, suppressors would be legal the moment Republican Governor Branstead signs it into law.