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Comment by dreamcompiler | Hacker News Reader

If you're willing to go through the red tape, you can buy a suppressor (silencer) and a bullet trap and do target shooting with your 9mm in your living room. (I have no affiliation with this company. It just seems to be an informative website on the process of buying a silencer.)

https://www.silencershop.com/how-to-buy-a-silencer

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This is a terrible idea. Leaving aside the backstop issues, your living room does not have sufficient ventilation to safely shoot relationally.

I wondered about that. But people around here do it, so I assume they've also installed adequate ventilation or just don't care.

Its typically called a suppressor. And it doesn't make the gun silent at all. But at least it won't blow out your hearing. Still, even equipped, I wouldn't try it in my living room.

Indoor target practice at home is fairly common among Class III enthusiasts where I live. (Although the website I cited says you don't need a Class III for suppressors any more). I've not tried it; suppressors outdoors are quite pleasant to shoot without ear protection but you might still want EP indoors. The point of the suppressor is to avoid alarming the neighbors. It's also something I'd never try in an apartment or with other houses nearby because of the obvious danger if you miss the bullet trap.

I've been around a lot of suppressed arms, and aside from one competition rifle that was specifically designed to be silent (and cost many thousands of dollars to get that way), can't recall a single one in which ear protection wouldn't have been dramatically preferred for indoor shooting.

Even for that one (subsonic, small rounds, suppressed, nitro piston), it would probably have been irritating to fire indoors.

Edit: In hindsight, I suppose a suppressed, rimfire 22 would be pretty quiet.

I don't want to be a pedant: weapons are never "Class III" - this is just a tax designation for federal firearms licensees that are eligible to deal in NFA "Title II" items.

The distinction is pretty important, because you certainly do not need a Class III SOT to own a Title II item.

Eh, "suppressor" is a term that became popular in reaction to the fact that anti-gunners took "silencer" too literally, but "silencer" is the more common and older term.

Ah! I was wrong; you are right. It was called a 'silencer' by its inventor. (He also called his car mufflers 'silencers'):

http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2015/04/jeremy-s/guns-for-b...

Its worth noting though: back then cars were called 'horseless carriages'. Which is pretty much an obsolete term. So maybe we can let 'silencer' die too.

Eh, I wouldn't call it dead. They are still referred to as "silencers" in the NFA and other legislation, the popular brand SilencerCo, the popular vendor SilencerShop.com, etc.

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