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I'm waiting (im)patiently as the days wind down to my birthday, when I will finally be in possession of my STI Ranger II. My husband and I practiced clearing the house a couple of nights ago, just for the sake of doing so, and I mentioned that we should get silencers for our pistols. If we ever have to use them I would prefer that they not be so damaging to our ears. We have hearing protection for the range but it's not practical (or wise, really) to be worrying about your ears during a home invasion scenario.

I remember reading that Texas has no restrictions on purchasing silencers for handguns, but if I'm wrong then let me know now!

So, can anyone point me in the right direction? We'd be looking to buy for my 1911 in 9mm and my husband's Taurus PT92.

I believe Texas law frowns upon silencers;
§ 46.05. PROHIBITED WEAPONS. (a) A person commits an
offense if he intentionally or knowingly possesses, manufactures,
transports, repairs, or sells:
(1) an explosive weapon;
(2) a machine gun;
(3) a short-barrel firearm;
(4) a firearm silencer;
(5) a switchblade knife;
(6) knuckles;
(7) armor-piercing ammunition;
(8) a chemical dispensing device; or
(9) a zip gun.

A silencer is legal in TX if you go through the right procedure. I am sure an expert will be along soon but in the meantime my understanding is you need to consult a Class III firearms dealer who will assist you in filling out the BATFE application forms and in transferring the silencer from the seller to you. My impression is the process of obtaining BATFE approval takes several months. You have to pay $200 to the government and whatever the Class III dealer charges as well as buying the silencer.

Just a few things to point out:
1) Your hearing will "turn off" appropriately in high stress firefights. Our bodies do interesting things to compensate for the loud noises
2) A firefight in your house will be brief, I assure you. You're not going to suffer permanent damage.
3) A silencer changes the performance characteristics of the pistol, including increased potential for stovepiping. Same for ammo type.
4) I'm sure a clever defense lawyer would characterize your use of a silencer to kill or injure his client as a premeditated action to inflict injury on intruders. That probably would fly like a brick in Texas, but in other states...
5) A silencer changes how you can move around obstacles and form a sight picture quickly. Unless you always train to defensively operate with a silencer, you put yourself at a disadvantage.


Nope. To me, there are far too many reasons to NOT use a silencer (suppressor) for defensive purposes.

numist wrote:I believe Texas law frowns upon silencers;
§ 46.05. PROHIBITED WEAPONS. (a) A person commits an
offense if he intentionally or knowingly possesses, manufactures,
transports, repairs, or sells:
(1) an explosive weapon;
(2) a machine gun;
(3) a short-barrel firearm;
(4) a firearm silencer;
(5) a switchblade knife;
(6) knuckles;
(7) armor-piercing ammunition;
(8) a chemical dispensing device; or
(9) a zip gun.

If you're going to quote a statute, be sure to read the whole thing, and actually quote EVERYTHING related to the question.
You missed this:

(c) It is a defense to prosecution under this section that
the actor's possession was pursuant to registration pursuant to the
National Firearms Act, as amended.

So yes, pay your tax stamp, buy it at a class III dealer, and you're good to go.
I also would not recommend one for HD, however, for the reasons stated above ;)

lkd wrote:Just a few things to point out:
1) Your hearing will "turn off" appropriately in high stress firefights. Our bodies do interesting things to compensate for the loud noises
2) A firefight in your house will be brief, I assure you. You're not going to suffer permanent damage.

While I agree, tacitly, with your other points, I must react to these two.

First: Even if your hearing does "turn off" (in a couple of high stress situations I have been in it seemed more as though I was experiencing "tunnel hearing" ie, blocking some sounds while enhancing others) that does not prevent you from suffering damage from acoustic trauma.

Second: Even brief exposure to extremely loud sounds will cause permanent damage, broken stereocilia do not heal. Gunfire in closed spaces qualifies as extremely loud.

A suppressor added to a handgun also makes the system that much larger - and more easily grabbed or deflected.

I fail to see that putting a suppressor on a hand gun will make it too long or big considering that clearing a building with a shotgun or AR is using a gun that isn't too big or long. Good practices of moving through a building will work for whatever your platform.

The best reason to use a suppresspor for home defense is that if you are clearing a house as a team (Husband and wife) it allows you to tell the difference between outgoing and incomming rounds.

That being said. If you are going to go the suppressor route I would use a collapsable stock AR-15 with a 16" barrel and a can. More power than a pistol and with the proper ammo less danger of the bullet leaving the house.

CompVest wrote:I fail to see that putting a suppressor on a hand gun will make it too long or big considering that clearing a building with a shotgun or AR is using a gun that isn't too big or long. Good practices of moving through a building will work for whatever your platform.

It's not that it necessarily makes it too big, it's that it makes it bigger. That's just one of the compromises one faces in choosing the right tool for the job. While good practices certainly help, they don't necessarily make one platform perform as well as another in a given situation.

Does anyone have any hard data on hearing loss caused by gunfights?

Outbreaker wrote:If you are going to go the suppressor route I would use a collapsable stock AR-15 with a 10.5" barrel and a can.

FYP

randomoutburst wrote:I'm waiting (im)patiently as the days wind down to my birthday, when I will finally be in possession of my STI Ranger II. My husband and I practiced clearing the house a couple of nights ago, just for the sake of doing so, and I mentioned that we should get silencers for our pistols. If we ever have to use them I would prefer that they not be so damaging to our ears. We have hearing protection for the range but it's not practical (or wise, really) to be worrying about your ears during a home invasion scenario.

I remember reading that Texas has no restrictions on purchasing silencers for handguns, but if I'm wrong then let me know now!

So, can anyone point me in the right direction? We'd be looking to buy for my 1911 in 9mm and my husband's Taurus PT92.

A better way to address your concerns for home defense might be to pick up a couple of sets of quality electronic hearing protectors. They do not change the configuration of your gun, they allow you to hear what's going on around you, and they protect your hearing as well.