Former NYPD Commissioner Claims If Las Vegas Shooter Had Silencer, ‘You Would Not Have Even Known’ Shooting ‘Was Happening’

Appearing on MSNBC on Monday, Bill Bratton, the former New York City police commissioner, claimed that if the Las Vegas shooter had used a “silencer” on his firearms, “you would not have even known this was happening.”

Right now before Congress — and I will make a prediction for you sitting here — there is a bill to allow silencers that would muffle the sound of a gunshot to be sold openly. Right now, they’re very restricted.

When host Stephanie Ruhle asked Bratton what the rationale would be for someone to own a “silencer,” the former commissioner replied:

The NRA claims it’s to protect the ears of hunters … under the ruse of protecting the hearing of hunters, they’re gonna authorize a device that will effectively silence a weapon. So, imagine if this individual had a silencer on the end of some of these weapons, you would not have even known this was happening. …

Anyone with a working knowledge of firearms knows that “silencers” do not silence gunfire, they simply reduce the level of sound emitted when a gun is fired. The sound we hear in movies when a spy or criminal uses a “silencer” is not accurate.

According to Dakota Silencer, a shot fired by a Remington 700 LTR produces a sound that reaches approximately 167 decibels. When a suppressor is attached, that sound is reduced to 133 decibels. An AR-15 with a 16 inch barrel produces a sound reaching 165 decibels. When a suppressor is attached, that sound is reduced to 132 decibels.

[[{“fid”:”25482″,”view_mode”:”default”,”fields”:{“format”:”default”,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:”Dakota Silencer decibels chart.”,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:”Image via Dakota Silencer”},”type”:”media”,”field_deltas”:{“1”:{“format”:”default”,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:”Dakota Silencer decibels chart.”,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:”Image via Dakota Silencer”}},”attributes”:{“alt”:”Dakota Silencer decibels chart.”,”title”:”Image via Dakota Silencer”,”class”:”media-element file-default”,”data-delta”:”1″}}]]

For comparison, according to the National Institutes Of Health (NIH), a nearby thunderclap reaches 120 decibels, while a jackhammer reaches 110 decibels. The Center for Hearing and Communication adds that an ambulance reaches 120 decibels.

Allegedly “silenced” rifles are still louder than a jackhammer, an ambulance, or a thunderclap. So no, Mr. Bratton, a suppressor would not, by any means, have made the Las Vegas shooter’s guns silent.