[spideysenses]

I've been watching cop shows, and I see many accessories for the guns used in the shows. I'm wondering what is illegal to own in reality?

Silencers
Laser guides/pointers attached on the barrel
2 magazines taped so the loading ends are on opposite sides
Bullets tainted with drugs such as sleepers
Night vision scopes/equipment

The funny thing is the bad guys don't get busted for having those accessories on the shows. But I can't believe it is legal to own in real life??

I'm wondering what is illegal to own in all 50 states besides fully auto? Are any of the items listed above illegal?

[Gearguy10]

It all depends on state/local regs. Most of what you mentioned is legal and if it isn't could be legal with the right permits. Not sure about drug laced bullets though. Seems kinda pointless. A .45 applied to the right pressure point will put a bad guy to sleep permanently. No drug needed.

[GUNGIRL]

[B]Silencers Legal in Colorado as long as you get a tax stamp
other stuff below is usless in my opinion

Originally Posted by spideysenses

I've been watching cop shows, and I see many accessories for the guns used in the shows. I'm wondering what is illegal to own in reality?

Silencers Legal in Colorado as long as you get a tax stamp
other stuff below is usless in my opinion

Laser guides/pointers attached on the barrel
2 magazines taped so the loading ends are on opposite sides
Bullets tainted with drugs such as sleepers
Night vision scopes/equipment

The funny thing is the bad guys don't get busted for having those accessories on the shows. But I can't believe it is legal to own in real life??

I'm wondering what is illegal to own in all 50 states besides fully auto? Are any of the items listed above illegal?

[Travis White]

Might be leagal but does any of it have a good use?

[allmons]

script writer who knows little about firearms.

The taped together magazine thing, for example, sounds great, but the dirt and debris that collect in the other mag often will jam your firearm. I found it safest to keep spare mags in the pouches and holders that uncle Sam provided for me.

Drug tipped bullets would not work very well. We used to put mercury in hollow point bullets and seal them over. It basically makes the bullet erratic, prone to break up and decreases accuracy. And it really isn't any maore deadly ( except to those of us handling mercury!!! )

[FALPhil]

Originally Posted by Gearguy10

A .45 applied to the right pressure point will put a bad guy to sleep permanently. No drug needed.

Yeah, putting pharmaceutical on a bullet seems like a dopey idea.

But then, criminals, as a group, are not the brightest bulbs on the porch.

[deerhuntguy]

Silencers - legal with the right permit/license

Laser guides/pointers attached on the barrel - legal

2 magazines taped so the loading ends are on opposite sides - legal but dumb

Bullets tainted with drugs such as sleepers - why bother?

Night vision scopes/equipment - legal

Machinegun - legal to own in all 50, with proper Fed permit/license, but may not be legal to possess in that state (in Iowa, for example, unless they have changed the laws since I lived there, it is legal to own a machinegun, but you cannot possess it in the state! The folks I know who owned one, kept theirs in storage in either Missouri or Illinois, where it is legal to own AND possess.)

[cnorman18]

TV and movies are notoriously inaccurate when it comes to firearms. Silencers, for instance, are much larger in real life than in films. In the movies, a 9mm silencer is often the size of a roll of nickels; in real life, they're more like a knockwurst. A silencer for a .45 would have to be the size of a paper towel tube. I always laugh when I see a silenced revolver, too--pointless, since the cylinder gap makes as big a bang as the muzzle. The sound of a silenced weapon isn't the little "pfft" you hear on the screen, either; it's more like the sound of closing the trunk of your car--"thunk".

Even the best writers get it wrong. Stephen King thinks revolvers have safeties (in several books), and has used "shotgun" and "rifle" as synonyms.

Old West gunfighters didn't "fan" their Colts, either. Great way to break a bolt spring. I could go on and on (and have), but there's no end to it.

My personal favorite howler was a David Janssen TV movie called "Warning Shot," where he played a cop in big trouble because witnesses said he never fired the legally required warning shot before killing a perp; he was trying to prove that he did. Ask a cop about that sometime...

[Spartan]

well there are silencers and there a suppressors, and in some places even compensated barrels are illegal. the easiest way to make silencer/suppressor, is with a small plastic soda bottle, just kind of tape it around the front of the weapon, works better on rifles then pistols but works on pistols too, you can try to mob it like in the movies and just hold your pistol in it, but i wouldnt reccommend that. there is still an audible pop because it isnt a real silencer, but is suppresses some of the bang and a good amount of the flash. pillows work too, but who carries those around. i would just simply reccommend more range time though, because if you get yourself to the point where you can actually effectively hit a target from about 75 feet away with a pistol, then who needs a silencer? one is backfire, two is gunplay, if you are going to shoot someone, shoot once, and hit what you are aiming at and then walk away...in this scenario, i would also reccommend wiping the rounds before loading the magazine, and also the utilization of a drop gun at the scene. it might even be smart to pick up the actual shell casing and toss it somewhere else, pisses the forensics guys off. lol (havent done any of this so not speaking from experience, lol)

[ranger_sxt]

Originally Posted by Spartan

well there are silencers and there a suppressors, and in some places even compensated barrels are illegal.

Silencers and suppressors are the same thing.