What about airsoft silencers?

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jlwilliams
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What about airsoft silencers?

Post by jlwilliams »

I know the airgun silencer discussions have been flogged nearly to death, but this came up in reaction to a thread elsewhere so I'm bringing it here. Either the silencer specific knowledge here will clear it up or it will turn into a purse fight.

What's the deal with airsoft silencers? I know that airgun silencers have to be permanently attached and would think that rule would apply to airsoft as well. That said, I've seen removable silencers on airsoft guns. A friend of mine showed me his son's airsoft AK with a Gemtech marked silencer on it. He got it from an airsoft store. I looked on an airsoft retail site (ehobyasia) and saw them listed as licensed Gemtech product. Is that true or Chinese BS? Are the airsoft guys working under different rules, or are they just getting stuff shipped over and enough gets through without Customs grabbing it? I'm positive that putting an airsoft silencer on a 22 would be clear cut illegal, but what about putting one on a pellet gun? It's way too close to the line for my tastes, I'd rather just turn up an adapter and screw on a registered firearm suppressor or just buy a shrouded air rifle. The average airgun enthusiast on the other hand would likely see no reason not to put a can from the airsoft shop onto his Crosman. Why wouldn't Joe Average think that's OK. Indeed, is it OK?

What gives?

For clarity, this line of question only applies to the psychotic/schizophrenic US laws. Those of you in the UK with moderated air rifles need not worry about anything but running out of pellets before running out of pigeons.
DoctorSolo
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Re: What about airsoft silencers?

Post by DoctorSolo »

jlwilliams wrote:I know the airgun silencer discussions have been flogged nearly to death...
You are correct. Why dont you just put a real, legal silencer on your air rifle? Then you dont have to worry about the semantic mess that this topic is. It sounds like you want us to tell you that mixing toys will probably not get you in trouble. But we all know the ATF can do anything they want. Nobody knows for sure until they go after someone.
jlwilliams
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Re: What about airsoft silencers?

Post by jlwilliams »

DoctorSolo wrote:
jlwilliams wrote:I know the airgun silencer discussions have been flogged nearly to death...
You are correct. Why dont you just put a real, legal silencer on your air rifle? Then you dont have to worry about the semantic mess that this topic is. It sounds like you want us to tell you that mixing toys will probably not get you in trouble. But we all know the ATF can do anything they want. Nobody knows for sure until they go after someone.
Not really. Like I said, this came up in context of a thread on Bowers board. Conflicting opinions there made me bring it to silencer talk, where silencers get talked.

I'm a proponent of 'if you want a suppressed airgun, get a suppressed airgun' and '$200 is less than the price of any lawyer' but I laid out my position on that in the flogging the suppressed airgun thing got already thread. I'm wondering how the airsoft guys seem to have a different set of rules. Is it defined differently, or awaiting doom? Do they count the plastic projo toys as different form any other bb gun? Or are they just importing this stuff from China without knowing it's a problem? Why are there Gemtech marked units? They aren't known for legal brinkmanship. The whole thing just turns out unlimited questions that may not have rational answers.

You are likely right that the whole mess is a semantic go-nowhere and we wil never know if it's a problem until someone gets their teats in a wringer.
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rogerme
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Re: What about airsoft silencers?

Post by rogerme »

jlwilliams wrote: You are likely right that the whole mess is a semantic go-nowhere and we wil never know if it's a problem until someone gets their teats in a wringer.
That sir is the crux of it. You know it is illegal your did your due diligence and warned them. Trying to prove a point to a group that can not read the truth when it is so easy to do will not be swayed by your words. Juts be happy in the fact that when you see the story about one of them getting nabbed by the ATF you can smile and say I told you so...
"If you carry a gun, people call you paranoid. That's ridiculous. If I have a gun, what in the hell do I have to be paranoid about?"

Clint Smith
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Re: What about airsoft silencers?

Post by Fallschirmjäger »

rogerme wrote:
jlwilliams wrote: You are likely right that the whole mess is a semantic go-nowhere and we wil never know if it's a problem until someone gets their teats in a wringer.
That sir is the crux of it. You know it is illegal your did your due diligence and warned them. Trying to prove a point to a group that can not read the truth when it is so easy to do will not be swayed by your words. Juts be happy in the fact that when you see the story about one of them getting nabbed by the ATF you can smile and say I told you so...
Or just point to the ruling by the US First Circuit Court of Appeals, where they found the ATF's own definition of a silencer indicates it's FOR a firearm, and attempting to paint air rifle moderators as silencers because they are capable of diminishing a report then puts potato's, pop bottles, and even pillows in that category.

http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-1st-circuit/1527670.html

This is not a case of semantics, this is a legal precedent...
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Bendersquint
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Re: What about airsoft silencers?

Post by Bendersquint »

Tech branch told me that if i put a plastic airsoft silencer on a 2r that it needs to he registered and even possession of a removable silencer for an airsoft and a gun that could accept it can make for a bad day.
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Re: What about airsoft silencers?

Post by Fallschirmjäger »

Bendersquint wrote:Tech branch told me that if i put a plastic airsoft silencer on a 2r that it needs to he registered and even possession of a removable silencer for an airsoft and a gun that could accept it can make for a bad day.
I agree that if you attach any device to a firearm it either needs to be registered or it's a violation of federal law, because you're affixing it to a firearm. But, just because you stick a soda bottle or a potato on the end of a firearms barrel with the intent of reducing the report, it doesn't mean soda bottles and sacks of potato's are now going to require $200 tax stamps. Using that logic, and the ATF's own definition of a silencer/suppressor, if I own an airsoft gun with a Guarder KAC replica suppressor, and I also own firearms, that doesn't mean it's illegal, unless of course I affix it to a firearm.
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