Note: While there is
some debate among enthusiasts regarding the proper name for a
Silencer/Suppressor, for simplicity's sake, we have chosen to stick with the
name the ATF uses to classify this device.
When the news about Michigan’s new legislation regarding
Silencers hit me I was unsure of how to respond. I never had the urge to own a
silencer and was not a proponent of silencer ownership. It wasn’t that I felt
“civilians” shouldn’t own silencers; I just didn’t have a strong opinion about
them. However, when I logged on to MGO (www.michigangunowners.org) that day, I
suddenly became a strong advocate for silencers. Now that they were legal, I
wanted one and was willing to pay the price to obtain one (which I might add
has been kind of steep for my tastes).
I kept my eye on MGO for a few days after that to monitor how
my fellow firearm enthusiasts were responding to the new law and just as I
expected, from people like myself who have more money than sense, they were
jumping right in to get their hands on the newly approved devices. It wasn’t
long after that while working out of state that The Gun Barn II in Detroit, MI
started a group-buy for silencers. I gave the prospect of hopping on the bandwagon
a great deal of thought, which was around seven seconds, before I sent the
email to The Gun Barn II requesting my silencer and provided my down payment.
My choice was the GemTech Blackside .45 for my Glock 21 for the chump-change
price of $662.50. Ouch! I would like to mention that this accessory for my
pistol happens to cost about $102.50 more than the pistol itself, but then
again it’s not quite as bad as putting an ACOG on a Hi-Point.
Starting the process to purchase my silencer rekindled my
urge to get a threaded barrel for my Glock 21. Don’t worry, I hadn’t overlooked
that elephant in the room. After all, you can only use duct tape to affix the
silencer to the barrel so many times before it gets dangerous. My search for a
threaded barrel was already taken care of because I had already set my sights
on a particular manufacturer. Lone Wolf Distributors produces threaded barrels
for Glocks at a pretty fair price. With my threaded barrel and thread protector
I ended up paying about $140. I must admit, I have intentionally refrained from
trying to see how much this whole package is going to cost me in the end;
mainly because my sanity will be hard to calculate.
After getting my barrel and about a month and a half of
waiting, which was actually nice because it gave me the time to save up the
other half of my payment, I got the email from The Gun Barn II telling me that
my item was in. Now came the fun part, which as I’m writing this is not quite
over. The Gun Barn II was going to send me a couple documents that needed
signing, fingerprints, and my first-born son. Oh, and I can’t forget about the
$200 check to The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE).
The first and easiest part of the paperwork process was getting my picture taken
for the two Form 4s. $10 at Meijer had that taken care of. The next task was
dropping off the paperwork at my county sheriff’s office for signing. I had
been in email communication with the sheriff himself for about a month so he
had an idea about what was coming to his desk. At first, the sheriff needed
some guidance on the legality of silencers, but after a quick background check
(part of the life of a gun owner) the sheriff signed my papers and got them off
to me.
My current predicament…fingerprints. I had not taken into
account that the nearest place for me to get fingerprints done decided long ago
that they would make their profit off of fingerprints. You ready for the price?
Too dang much: $65. As of recent it has not been verified on whether this is
per card, the BATFE requires two cards to be completed with the application. My
current plans are to have my co-writer take my prints as his prior military police
training has provided him with the knowledge he needs to properly take
fingerprints. We will soon see if the BATFE will accept a veteran’s taking of
my fingerprints instead of price-gouging, I mean, honest professionals, but
that will have to wait until the forms are sent out. As I progress with this
process I will advise on any new events that come about, but hopefully my next
update will be several exclamation marks followed by I GOT MY SILENCER followed
by more exclamation marks. Oh, and the cheesy video showing me overly excited
to show you the difference between a Glock 21 silenced and un-silenced.
