[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]

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

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]

Most of it's useless stuff, or the imagination of a

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]

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]

silencers

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]

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

Silencers and suppressors are the same thing.

 

[DonnyKC]

i thought a suppressor was to hide the flash when shooting at night so the enemy does see your position

Silencers and suppressors are the same thing.

 

[ranger_sxt]

i thought a suppressor was to hide the flash when shooting at night so the enemy does see your position

That's a flash-suppressor.

 

[Spartan]

really

really? well my mistake, i was taught a silencer is what it says it is, and that a silencer reduces the amount of the audible decibel level of the discharge, while a suppressor actually does not suppress or reduce the level of sound from the discharge but rather suppresses the flash itself. maybe i am wrong, who knows who really cares lol

 

[henryk]

Silencers and suppressors are the same thing.

Silencers and flash suppressors are the same thing?

 

[mrwatch]

potatos

According to Law and Order which I love, putting a potato on a gun does not work either. Here is another. Police training film; shoot don't shoot! Okay the man is throwing a knife qat you, when can you shoot him? As soon as the knife leaves his finger tips he is no longer armed!
Bob

 

[Donn]

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.

Exactly. Take fire, hit the deck and the upside-down mag gets fouled with dirt. Found out first hand when I was deployed. Trouble is, the closest most TV writers get to combat is when they play Call to Duty or some such video game.

 

[dragunovsks]

Silencers and flash suppressors are the same thing?

Uh no, there not the same thing. A suppressor (no such thing as a real silencer) reduces the db level of a gunshot.

A flash suppressor or flash hider reduces the visible muzzle flash when a firearm is fired. Muzzle flash can give away your position.

 

[cnorman18]

True dat. A relative of mine -- a remarkably brilliant and talented fellow, and by no coincidence a very wealthy one -- is a Class III collector. His gun room -- an enormous safe, really -- is mind-boggling. I have fired one of his suppressed UZIs full auto, and it still made a helluva lot of noise, though one didn't need hearing protection. Also fired an aluminum-framed M-16, a Chinese-made AK-47, and a suppressed MAC-10, all on full rock & roll. Fun afternoon on Thanksgiving, but not much fun for the pumpkins left over from Halloween.

But there is such a thing as a "silencer." He owns a Ruger 10-22 with an integral suppressor built into its fat barrel --and when firing subsonic ammo, the only sound that comes from it is the click of the firing pin. Awesome.

Before anyone asks: yes, it's all legally registered with the Feds.

When the zombies come, I'm going to HIS house.