A petition to the government of Canada to legalize firearm silencers got more than 3,000 signatures in its first 24 hours online, suggesting wide appeal for a device to protect hearing and reduce noise complaints around shooting ranges.
The petition, which I signed, calls on the government to “Allow the legal acquisition, possession, and use of sound moderators on firearms by all licensed firearms users in Canada,” according to the text published Feb. 17 on the website of Canada’s parliament.
It was initiated by Mateusz Magolan of Calgary and is sponsored by Brad Trost, a member of parliament from Saskatoon who pledged to repeal the Firearms Act if he is elected to lead the Conservative Party and becomes prime minister.
Ontario No. 1
The petition had 3,626 signatures as of 11:14 p.m. in Toronto on Feb. 18. Ontario had the most names, followed by Alberta and British Columbia.
It takes two steps to sign after you click the “Sign the Petition” button at the bottom of the petition website. First, enter your name, phone number, province, postal code and e-mail (address not required). Second, click the confirmation link in the automatic e-mail that you get a few seconds later. The petition closes on June 17, but why not go ahead and sign up now.
Consider a third step: Tell everyone you know to sign the darn thing!
Less Noise, Recoil
(I’m curious why the petition writers want to limit suppressors to “licensed” firearms users instead of all “legal” users. Canada has more than 2 million licensed users, and probably more than 6 million legal users if we include family, friends, guests and visitors. Even better might be to do as Norway does, and make them unregulated.)
My first time firing a suppressed firearm, at SHOT Show last month, I was baffled (hee hee) by how much noise and recoil were decreased, with just a mild pffft. You’d think these contraptions would be mandatory in some places (other than in cheesy movies).
Norway Likes Quiet
The U.S. is also reviewing the Hearing Protection Act to allow suppressors, and the Norwegians are way ahead of us both.
“Suppressors are not regulated under Norwegian law, and may be purchased by anyone,” according to Wikipedia. “Suppressors are also legal while hunting, and seen as a necessity for more comfortable shooting and to lower the environmental impact of noise.”
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