=============== Proposed amendment to RCW 9.41.250 =============== See http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=9.41.250 Contact: John Hardin Permanent copy: http://www.impsec.org/~jhardin/wa_gun_laws_suppressor.txt $Id: wa_gun_laws_suppressor.txt,v 1.4 2007-09-02 14:35:32-07 jhardin Exp jhardin $ --------------------- RCW 9.41.250 shall be amended as follows. RCW 9.41.250 currently reads: (1) Every person who: (a) Manufactures, sells, or disposes of or possesses any instrument or weapon of the kind usually known as slung shot, sand club, or metal knuckles, or spring blade knife, or any knife the blade of which is automatically released by a spring mechanism or other mechanical device, or any knife having a blade which opens, or falls, or is ejected into position by the force of gravity, or by an outward, downward, or centrifugal thrust or movement; (b) Furtively carries with intent to conceal any dagger, dirk, pistol, or other dangerous weapon; or (c) Uses any contrivance or device for suppressing the noise of any firearm, is guilty of a gross misdemeanor punishable under chapter 9A.20 RCW. ((subsection (2) omitted)) Subsection (1)(c) shall be amended to read: (c) Uses in the purposeful or knowing commission of a crime of violence any contrivance or device attached to a firearm for the purpose of suppressing the noise of firing, --------------------- Rationale: The discharge of a firearm is an extremely loud sound, from 140dbA to as much as 165dbA. In an enclosed space the sound of a gunshot is naturally even louder. Sounds of this volume are unavoidably painful and injurious, and can produce instant and permanent hearing loss, particularly if the source of the sound is within a few feet (e.g. at arm's length) of the ear. Firearm suppressors reduce the sound of a gunshot to the point it will no longer cause injury, but except for the case of a small caliber firearm shooting subsonic ammunition a suppressor does not make a gunshot silent. The capability of a suppressor or "silencer" to mask the sound of a gunshot is largely the product of hollywood fantasy. Thus, a suppressor is a safety accessory to a much greater degree than it is a device to further criminal activity. Self-defense involving a firearm is inherently within a closed space when it takes place in the home, and is often in close physical proximity to family members. If you use an unsuppressed firearm in an enclosed space such as your home or car to defend yourself or your family against a violent crime, you, your spouse and your children face the nontrivial danger of serious or permament hearing loss. A fetus is also sensitive to loud sounds. While the full impact of impulse noise on a developing fetus is not well known at this time, it is likely that the fetus in a pregnant woman in close proximity to an unsuppressed firearm discharge may experience permanent hearing damage. Other damage, such as behavioral anomalies or biochemical changes, may also be possible as a result of exposure to impulse noise in excess of 140dbA. Shouldn't a pregnant woman be able to defend herself against a violent crime using a firearm without causing permanent hearing and other damage to her baby? It is lawful in the State of Washington to own a suppressor. Why should it not also be lawful to use a suppressor - which is an important safety accessory - in lawful pursuits involving firearms?