I knew this was coming as soon as reports came out that the Virginia Beach chumbucket used a suppressor. Here’s one example of many.
Why the shooting in Virginia Beach sets an ominous precedent
But the Virginia Beach killer seemed to want the anonymity of silence, a tool of the coward, not one seeking fame or a blaze of glory. None of the videos or manifestos we’ve seen from New Zealand to Las Vegas appear to be part of the Virginia Beach story. The killer wanted silence.
If he wanted silence, he should have used something silent; maybe a machete. Even suppressed, a .45 (reportedly used) is hardly silent. The Obsidian 45 suppressor, billing itself as “the Quietest 45 Pistol Suppressor on the Market,” claims a “mere” 129.3 dB.
129.3dB. That comes in just under the sound of a jet fighter taking off on afterburner, and louder than a thunderclap, chainsaw, car horn, jackhammer, and even a DC-8 airliner.
I suspect people could hear the asshole’s shots. Oh. Wait…
“We kept hearing gunfire,” Banton said. “We were trying to keep as quiet as possible.”
They did hear it, and recognized it.
A .45 shot is around 157 dB in loudness. A good suppressor can reduce that by as much as 32 dB, leaving a loud noise. The point of suppressors is usually hearing protection and safety. A suppressor can do the job of ear muffs, without reducing your awareness of the environment surrounding you.*
Fearmongering Juliette Kayyem might be a smart lady who is knowledgeable of international security, but she demonstrably knows zilch about firearms and suppressors.
One report has it that the scumbag prepared for his spree by brushing his teeth. Perhaps Kayyem wants toothbrushes outlawed because folks in the building really couldn’t hear that. Or car mufflers, because I understand he drove to work.
* I know someone will bring up the De Lisle. True, it was a .45 ACP, and officially came in at 85.5 dB. But 1) it was a carbine with a large suppressor, it was a bolt action (fully suppressing a semi-automatic such as the VB shooter allegedly used is very problematical), and 3) the action and suppressor were designed as a single, purpose built, integrated unit.
[Permission to republish this article is granted so long as it is not edited and the author and The Zelman Partisans are credited.]
(More Tip Jar Options) |
