We look at the silencer owner in 2022 and what they look like now. This is a interesting subject that shows the variety of people that have learned how beneficial a silencer is and that we can all benefit from the use of silencers on our favorite firearm.
The group of people that use firearm silencers are as varied as the types of firearms that they use them on. We have the obvious tactical guy and the not-so-obvious girly girl, both benefitting from silencer use. Let’s take a look at the most common types I have observed:
Tactical training AR15 guy: You know the guy, he shows up to the range with a really nice carbine and a top tier suppressor on it, shoots Mozambique drills for an hour then packs up and goes home. These guys may seem like a bunch of posers to some, but what they really are is interested young people that want to enjoy the freedoms afforded to them by their fore fathers. I am glad to see them on the range. I hope that they continue to goto the range and practice, it may come in handy one day, you never know.
22 Timmy/ 22 Lily: these people love coming to the range with dad so they can shoot the 22 rifle with the Regulator Ti silencer on it. This has to be the highlight of the week! The steels at 50 yards never stood a chance! These will be our countries leaders in 25 years so it is important that they understand what the Constitution is and how we can participate in the process and knowing civics is a good part of that. This is part of that process.
The soccer mom: This segment is the sleeper cell of the gun community, you never expect this one as they dont normally look like the type that would enjoy coming to the range. When you see them step up to the line though, you know they are all business and love to shoot the Glock custom with the Centurion on it (and they like it even more if it has a little oil in it to help reduce first round pop). We are seeing an increasing amount of “mom” shooters who want a suppressor to make their favorite gun more fun to shoot.
The newly minted gun owner: These people are the 21 and 22 years olds who have just come of age and are well versed with the internet and have found that they can have a silencer because of youtube and the long list of companies making high quality silencers for them now. These are the next leaders of this country and we are glad to see them taking to this part of their birthright like they should. These people pick the multi caliber suppressor as their first foray into NFA as they are being frugal and this allows the most versatility for the cost involved. The Mystic X seems to be their silencer of choice and for good reason.
The grand dad of the newly minted gun owner: These are typically people who were born in the 70s, these people were accustomed to guns being fairly easy to get and have, but never really thought about owning silencers as no one really knew who to get them from. Plus add to this the problem of there being very few makers at the time as well and this just compounded the problem. With the machine-gun ban of 1986 still in their minds, they love having freedom and these silencers, which were reserved for the elite few that knew where to get them, are grabbing them up now to protect what little hearing they have left.
The immigrant: These people came into the country mostly after the iron curtain fell in the 90s and have lived under communist rule. They know full well how the world works when the populace is disarmed and do not have the ability to defend themselves from evil people intent on committing evil acts against them. They love the freedom that comes from living in the USA and want to participate in all of it. These people are awesome and I take my hat off to them.
Last but not least, a silencer is sometimes found on the gun of a veteran. These people know the price of freedom as they have seen it first hand. The cost is high and they don’t want to just toss it aside like some discarded piece of clothing. They also understand that governments can go bad and that it is up to the people to make course corrections when this happens and that the three boxes of liberty have to be cared for. They train, but hope they never need it. These people are the ones that will be there when you need them most.
This is my thoughts on what I have seen at the range in the past couple of years and the people I have observed using a silencer. I may be way off base, but that is what it looks like to me. Thank you for your time.
David Saylors