{"id":111260,"date":"2019-06-13T11:54:29","date_gmt":"2019-06-13T15:54:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/?p=111260"},"modified":"2019-06-13T11:54:29","modified_gmt":"2023-08-31T17:03:16","slug":"exclusive-suppressor-group-trump-anti-silencer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/exclusive-suppressor-group-trump-anti-silencer\/","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive: Leading Suppressor Advocacy Group Addresses Trump\u2019s Anti-Silencer Comments"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Exclusive:
President Donald J. Trump doesn’t like suppressors and has told Piers Morgan that he will think about banning the accessories as he did with bump stocks. (Photo: Twitter<\/em>) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Donald Trump doesn\u2019t like suppressors.\u00a0 At all.\u00a0 He told a reporter precisely that last week on the South Lawn of the White House before departing on Marine One. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t like them at all,\u201d replied the president<\/a> when asked by the reporter if \u201csilencers should be restricted?\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Days later Trump took it one step further, telling Piers Morgan<\/a> (of all people<\/a>) that he\u2019d contemplate a retroactive ban of the accessories like his administration did with reciprocating stocks in 2018<\/a>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I’d like to think about it [banning suppressors]. I mean nobody’s talking about silencers very much. I did talk about the bump stock and we had it banned and we’re looking at that. I’m going to seriously look at it. I don’t love the idea of it,” the president said to Morgan during an interview on Good Morning Britain<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suppressors have been in the headlines following reports<\/a> that the Virginia Beach suspect used one in the May 31st attack on the city\u2019s municipal center which left 12 people dead (ATF has not yet disclosed where or how the suspect obtained the suppressor). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

GunsAmerica reached out to the American Suppressor Association <\/a>(ASA), the unified voice for the suppressor industry, for comment on Trump\u2019s distressing remarks in the wake of Virginia Beach.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe vehemently oppose any and all efforts to ban suppressors,\u201d Knox Williams, the group\u2019s president & executive director told GunsAmerica.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s clear that the president doesn\u2019t understand the issue,\u201d Williams continued.  For starters, suppressors are regulated by established statute as opposed to bump stocks which were only approved via ATF opinion letters, explained Williams.  Trump doesn\u2019t have the legislative power to prohibit suppressors at the federal level.  Only Congress has that authority.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Williams cautioned that while Trump may not be able to criminalize the possession of suppressors, he could make it very difficult to obtain one by pulling resources from the ATF and creating indefinite wait times.  As it stands right now it can take up to 18 months to get a can.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe ASA is working extremely hard to ensure that doesn\u2019t happen,\u201d said Williams. In fact, the ASA is hoping to make lemonade out of these proverbial lemons and take this as an opportunity to educate the president on the issue.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

SEE ALSO: <\/strong>Does a Suppressed Pistol Sound like a Nail Gun?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of \u2018fake news,\u2019 to use the president\u2019s words, surrounding suppressors,\u201d explained Williams.  \u201cWe want to communicate to the White House that the media continues to misinform the public<\/a>.  We believe president Trump will be receptive to our messaging because in addition to having the facts on our side his own sons use suppressors and have supported deregulation in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s true.  Don Jr. told SilencerCo in a 2016 interview<\/a> that, \u201cI love your product,\u201d while also lamenting, \u201cI can\u2019t use it in the People’s Republic of New York.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jr. also said that when it comes to legislation like the Hearing Protection Act<\/a>, which would remove suppressors from the National Firearms Act, his father is \u201cobviously going to be for it\u201d and that it wouldn\u2019t make sense for the president not to sign it.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Trump ultimately decides to do on the suppressor front is anyone\u2019s guess.  What is certain, however, is it would be incredibly stupid for him to push a ban before the 2020 election.  Given that the gun community is already on guard following the bump stock fiasco, outlawing suppressors would all but ensure that he\u2019d lose the pro-2A vote and, as a result, the election. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since 2016, Trump has told gun owners the same thing <\/a>at each NRAAM he\u2019s attended, \u201cI will never let you down.\u201d  I don\u2019t know about you but I feel pretty let down as of late.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n