Dear Representative _______,
I am an avid hunter and outdoorsman, and I have a concern with current Washington State law pertaining to the use of sound suppressors on firearms in the state.
In Washington State, a resident may *possess* a firearm sound suppressor, often inaccurately known as a "silencer," but the device may not in fact be *used*. This is as near a non-sequitur as I've seen in any legislation. If a person was intent on using the device in an otherwise unlawful manner, I can't see how the law prohibiting the otherwise legal use of the device would act as a deterrent.
Combining the above with the general European notion that use of firearms *without* a sound suppressor is impolite, and we see that Washington State law on the matter could fairly be changed. Finland recently changed their laws regarding possession and use of sound suppressors after conducting a study that found only benefits to their use. They found that
"Suppressors do not decisively favor poaching or other criminal activity since they do not affect the bullet noise. The bass tuned 130 - 140 dB sound of the suppressed muzzle blast is also heard quite far, yet is not so disturbing. (Complete suppressors only exist in cinema). "
http://www.guns.connect.fi/rs/suppress.html
In addition, the encroachement of urban areas on once rural places is leading to dissagreements between residents and shooting facilities. This could be addressed in part by allowing sporting persons to use sound suppressors to mitigate the unpleasant noises associated with shooting ranges. All aspects of legal hunting and enjoying the outdoors are enhanced by the use of suppressors, since the report of shots fired, while still heard for a significant distance, is less disturbing, as indicated in the Finnish study.
Finally, my greatest concern is in respect to hearing preservation of all persons involved in hunting and shooting sports. I have permanent tinnitus and I am bothered tremendously by loud noises. I hunt with hearing protection, but I would certainly appreciate being able to further protect my hearing by reducing the muzzle blast of my rifle by an additional 20dB or so.
I am hoping that you and your colleagues will sponsor new legislation to allow the use of legally owned firearm sound suppressors, in line with federal law (which requires registration and a $200 tax per device) in order to protect the hearing of hunters and sports persons, and improve the sound environment of our outdoors.
Thank you very much for your consideration,