Suppressors in Canada: A Proposal

[u/picatdim]

Firearm suppressors are currently illegal to own in Canada, but are legal and even encouraged in the US and many European countries. Suppressors alone do not make a gunshot silent; rather, they reduce its volume significantly. Suppressors can also be used in conjunction with subsonic ammunition, which does not produce a sonic boom when fired. This combination can render a gunshot almost completely silent and hearing-safe.

The legalization of suppressors is important for reducing the impact on the hearing health of the shooter and nearby people. It also lowers the gunshot noise generated by an active shooting range or a hunter out in the forest, resulting in fewer noise complaints by range neighbours and less environmental impact on the part of hunters.

If suppressors are legalized, I propose the implementation of a federal tax of $25 on the sale of each new suppressor. This special tax revenue would be partially allocated towards improved border security targeted at reducing the flow of illegal weapons smuggled into Canada from the United States. Smuggled weapons account for the vast majority of gun violence in this country. The second portion of the tax revenue would be allocated towards supporting the victims of gun violence, whether that be through mental health initiatives, enhanced medical care or direct financial support.

There are approximately 2 million licensed firearms owners in Canada. If each of them bought just one suppressor in a given year, the $25 tax per suppressor would result in an extra 50 million dollars the federal government could put towards eradicating firearms smuggling and assisting the victims of gun violence.

This suppressor initiative benefits everyone except for the criminals who smuggle and kill with illegal weapons. Firearms owners benefit from less hearing damage, range neighbours and the environment suffer less from noise pollution, the government benefits from increased funding to reduce the impact of gun smuggling and gun crime, and the victims of gun violence are granted increased support.

[u/Hot_Cheesecake_905]

I think we should target the noise pollution angle.

Nathalie Provot, the Secretary of Nature, will surely understand the negative effects of noise pollution and perhaps loop in colleagues from Health Canada to help protect the hearing of Canadian shooters.

[u/Whispersfine → u/Hot_Cheesecake_905]

She will tell you to stop using guns and solve the issue forever.

I’m not even joking.

[u/4r4nd0mninj4 → u/Whispersfine]

Exactly. She has no interest in preserving the rights of hunters or sport shooters. She'd ban absolutely everything tomorrow if the AFN would let her get away with it.