Summary: January 31, 2008

I (Tom Gayord) can’t sum this up any better than to say I’ve been summing it up all along. The airgun silencer issue is complex, convoluted and anything but clear. If someone tries to convince you otherwise, don’t listen to another word they say. Again, this article has been written by Tom Gaylord a true airgun aficionado. We are indebted to you. Dirt E. Harry

You could be found Guilty: January 30, 2008

If that silencer has no serial number, it becomes a firearm without a serial number – the possession of which is a criminal offense. If you made it, you could be found guilty of manufacturing a firearm without a license – another criminal offense. If the judge decides that your legal ownership of a .22 rimfire rifle constitutes the intent to attach your illegal silencer to a firearm, you could lose everything you own and go to prison. Dirt E. Harry

Why doesn’t someone write the BATFE? January 29, 2008

Why doesn’t somebody write to the head of BATFE and request that they make a ruling about airgun silencers? It’s been done – MANY times. The BATFE has no more authority over airguns than the government of Australia has over the United States. Airguns are outside the scope of the Bureau’s charter, so they cannot issue any kind of statement about them. Silencers, on the other hand, are their bread and butter. So, if a device can be REMOVED from an airgun and ATTACHED to a portable firearm and diminish its report, that device is then legally defined as a silencer. Dirt E. Harry

George Bigbore Part 3: January 28, 2008

Your custom high-power super-silent .25 caliber air rifle made by George Bigbore may have an unregistered silencer on it. If George goes down, he may take you with him. Then you can listen to him complain loudly for hours that the government had it in for him, as you both mop the floors of cellblock B. Dirt E. Harry

George Bigbore Part 2: January 27, 2008

Some of the airguns have parts that could be removed and put on a firearm to diminish its report. BATFE agents have started their own file on George, but he is such a minnow that they don’t even toss him into the pan when frying a bigger fish. Time is on their side, though, and one day old George may cross the line far enough that the government decides to send a message to the other 437 known makers of “fringe” silencers. With their thick file, plus whatever George just did to put himself over the top, it’s showtime! Dirt E. Harry

George Bigbore Part 1: January 26, 2008

George Bigbore handmakes a .25 caliber air rifle that develops 120 foot-pounds of energy – the equivalent of a .22 Long Rifle cartridge. George is a rugged individualist who talks louder when he’s disagreed with. He likes “living off the grid,” though he would be surprised to learn that his lifestyle attracts even more attention and has generated a thick FBI file. George makes and sells a dozen air rifles each year. Dirt E. Harry

What about airguns that have real silencers built in from the factory? January 25, 2008

1. The TX200 Mk III has a shrouded barrel with baffles in the end of it. It is clearly a silencer. HOWEVER, it doesn’t do that much for the TX200, because that airgun isn’t loud to begin with, and if someone were to go to the trouble of cutting the shroud and baffles off a TX200 and mounting it on a firearm, they would be insane. Why spend over $500 to get materials you can buy at Home Depot for under $5? Why do WORK to get them, instead of just buying them as pieces? And, why work EVEN HARDER to lash them to a firearm, where they would be hopelessly inefficient because of how they were made and what they were originally designed to do? If the government hates you that much (to prosecute such an unworthy case), they can just hire a hit man and be done with it for far less time and effort. Dirt E. Harry

Will the government really prosecute? January 24, 2008

Yes, the government will prosecute. Tom Gaylord knows airgunners who have been arrested and had their silencers confiscated. If the government can make a case, have no doubt that they will. He also knows dealers who have been “visited” by representatives of BATFE because they were selling airgun silencers. You can joke about this with your buddies, but when you are seated facing two or three government agents and forced to have a long, in-depth conversation on a subject you know only a little about, things come into sharp focus. Dirt E. Harry

So, what is a muzzlebrake? January 23, 2008

In the United States, a muzzlebrake is a swelling at the muzzle of an airgun. On breakbarrels, it often gives more leverage for cocking. On other types of airguns, it’s decorative. On a .50 BMG, it’s a type of compensator that helps reduce felt recoil. In the United Kingdom, it’s a slang term for moderator, which is their term for a silencer. Dirt E. Harry

Don’t there have to be baffles? January 22, 2008

Don’t there have to be baffles inside for a device to be considered a silencer? 
No more than an airgun has to operate on air (i.e., CO2 guns). Baffles were in one of the very first firearm silencers patented by Hiram Maxim in 1909, but there is no mention of baffles in the legal definition. The reason everyone talks about baffles is because they are still an effective way to silence a firearm’s report. But baffles are not required. Dirt E. Harry