Silencers 101
Using a Suppressor For Home Defense: Save Your Ears
Close your eyes and picture this: It’s the middle of the night and you’re jolted awake by a loud noise followed by the sound of breaking glass and splintering wood. Someone broke a window or kicked in a door and now there’s an intruder in your sacred space.
In addition to calling 911, you should also be quick to access your home defense firearm. In the scenario that’s playing out in your head, what kind of gun is it? Is it equipped with a suppressor?
Given the popularity of suppressors, it comes as no surprise that more and more people are adding them to their home defense firearms. If you’re not sure you should do the same, go ahead and read this blog post. We’ll explain why we think it’s a good idea. Of course, your mileage may vary, and that’s fine. There’s no right or wrong way for you to defend your home. We’re just making suggestions.
WHAT’S YOUR HOME DEFENSE PLAN?
Before asking yourself whether or not you should use a suppressor for home defense, you need to ask yourself about your home defense plan. Don’t have one? Make one. Seriously. Do it now. Read our blog post about them and then come back and finish reading this one. We’ll wait.
…
OK, now that you’ve read that post and put together a home defense plan, let’s talk about the role that suppressors can play in your plan.
BENEFITS OF USING A SUPPRESSOR FOR HOME DEFENSE
Just as there are a bunch of different reasons for using a suppressor in a regular shooting situation, there are also multiple benefits that relate to suppressor use in a home defense situation. Here are two of the biggest benefits.
TACTICAL ADVANTAGE
Suppressors reduce recoil and muzzle flash, which can be a huge tactical advantage in a home defense situation. For starters, the reduced recoil will help your shot accuracy and then help you get back on target for any follow-up shots if they need to be taken.
Home defense situations often take place at night in the dark. The bright light from a muzzle flash can temporarily blind you as your dilated pupils struggle to take in as much light as possible only to be assaulted by a huge flash of light when least expected. A suppressor can reduce that muzzle flash and help make sure that your vision is unimpeded in this incredibly important situation. You want to be able to see any intruders (or loved ones) in your home clearly, and not have to worry about being unable to see because of the muzzle flash.
SAVE YOUR EARS
Every second counts in a home defense situation, and it takes precious seconds to pick up and put on traditional hearing protection. Having a firearm with a suppressor already attached to it takes away the extra step of needing to grab hearing protection and it prevents you from forgoing it altogether in the heat of the moment.
Shooting a gun indoors is loud, especially if it isn’t suppressed. Even if you’re “just” using a handgun, it’s still going to be really loud. If your home defense firearm is a rifle, then it’s going to be really really loud.
If your only experience with how suppressors sound is from the movies, we’re here to tell you that that depiction is not how it works in real life. Suppressors don’t make guns silent. It’s still going to be loud; it just won’t be as loud.
Using a suppressor will knock back the decibels to a more hearing-safe level and help save your ears for some very important things, such as listening to family members, communicating with the 911 operator, and speaking with law enforcement when they arrive.
GET AN NFA TRUST FOR YOUR SUPPRESSOR FOR HOME DEFENSE
When you buy a suppressor from Silencer Central, we’ll set you up with a free NFA Trust. Since suppressors are governed by strict federal law, a trust is a great way to make sure that your spouse (or adult children) can use the suppressor in a home defense situation even if you’re not home. If they aren’t one of the approved people, things could get complicated very quickly. Don’t risk it; let us set up your trust!
TOP PISTOLS AND SUPPRESSORS FOR HOME DEFENSE
Almost every semi-automatic pistol on the market today is either available with a threaded barrel from the factory or you can buy one separately and drop it in. That means you’ve got a wide range of options from which to choose when picking out a pistol for home defense. Remember, the gun you use for concealed carry may not be the ideal pistol for home defense. There are also a ton of suppressors available to choose from and pair with your home defense pistol.
For help picking out the right pistol and suppressor combination, check out our blog posts about them.
The 8 Best Pistols To Suppress [2022]
Best Pistol Suppressor Options
POTENTIAL LEGAL IMPLICATIONS
While using a suppressor for home defense is a great idea for the reasons mentioned above, you should also consider the other side of things, i.e. why you might not want to use a suppressor for home defense.
First and foremost, there is a high likelihood that the firearm you use in a home defense scenario is going to be temporarily confiscated and entered into evidence. If your firearm has a suppressor attached to it, then they’ll be taking it, too. You waited an obscene amount of time to get the suppressor in the first place, so be sure you’re OK with having to wait to get it back.
If your home defense situation ends up in court, your gun, suppressor, and tactics will all come into play. The other side’s attorney may try to paint you as some evil boogeyman who wants to be super stealthy and do more harm than they deem necessary to the intruder or intruders. We know this isn’t true, but you need to be prepared to defend against that accusation.
Beyond that, a jury that contains people who aren’t gun savvy will probably see a suppressed firearm as something rather sinister. Of course, we know that’s not the case, but that’s how the other attorney will try to make it seem. Again, make sure your side is prepared to sooth over any concerns about suppressors.
We don’t say these things to make you shy away from using a suppressor for home defense. We say them to make sure you’re properly informed about the pros and cons of using a suppressor for home defense so that you can make the right decision for you and your family. There’s no wrong answer.
GET SUPPRESSED TODAY
Whether you’ve decided to use a suppressor for home defense or not, the next step is to get a hold of us here at Silencer Central because even if you don’t want to suppress your home defense gun, you know you still want a suppressor. (Go on, it’s OK. You can admit it.)
If you know what you want to buy, we can start your order right away. If you’re still deciding, our staff can help you pick the right suppressor for your firearm.
Silencer Central is licensed to sell suppressors in all 42 states where they are legal. We’ve been doing this all day, every day for more than 15 years, and have sold countless thousands of suppressors in that time.
Let us handle the entire purchase process for you and even deliver your suppressor right to your front door once it’s been approved. It really doesn’t get any better than that, so what are you waiting for? Call us now!