SUPPRESSOR VS. SILENCER

The U.S. Patent Number US916885 A is entitled “silent firearm.” That was published in 1909. In the 100 plus years since the publication of that patent, science demonstrated that it is impossible to, “silence,” a gun and that, “suppression,” is the most accurate descriptor for this class of items. H.P. Maxim trademarked the name Maxim Silencer. There is a debate about using, “silencer” because the first products developed were called, “silencers.” This makes the word a reference to historical meaning. Whether we say, “silencer,” or, “suppressor,” we are ultimately referring to the same items that perform the same tasks:  recoil reduction, increase in accuracy, decrease in pressure and sound.

In the English language, car mufflers are called, “silencers.” (see our British cousins across the pond.) Also, without baffles, a suppressor is a can, so the slang descriptor, “can,” is also used to describe a suppressor. The first documented use of the word, “suppressor,” was in US Patent Number 4530417 in 1985.

When the NFA was made law, they used the word, “silencer,” as a descriptor, which the ATF uses to this day.

Silencer, Muffler, Suppressor, Can… take your pick! The most scientifically accurate descriptor is, “suppressor.”

-Travis Bundy

The Science of Silence

Categories: Suppressor

Tags: silencer, suppressor, gemtech, guns, rifles, edc, vs, blog, educational blog, language, muffler, can, nfa, hpa, nra & atf

Posted On: January 9, 2018

Posted By: Philip Sansotta