Does anybody have a good recommendation for a book (or some especially good articles) on this topic?
In case anyone wasn't aware, silencers are legal to own in the United States under certain conditions.
- A $200 tax stamp must be paid to the ATF in addition to the cost of the silencer.
- There must be a full background check completed.
- The proper forms must be submitted including facial photographs and fingerprints.
- There's a very long (6-12 month) wait time while the ATF approves the application.
This long delay is why I'm making this post: it's slower than one might expect (and things are changing fast over here) so anyone who's considering getting one is better off getting the process started quickly.
Silencers can be purchased at gun stores but it's easier to get them from SilencerShop. The reason is that the process is complex and filling out part of the paperwork incorrectly can cause the entire thing to have to be restarted. SilencerShop has a large number of electronic kiosks in gun stores across the country that take you through the process step-by-step and ensure that each part is complete and correct -- it checks to ensure that the fingerprints are readable, that the facial photographs have the appropriate amount of whitespace, that the personal information has been entered correctly, etc. -- before compiling it into the final document and electronically submitting it to the ATF. That way, there are no mistakes and no unexpected delays.
Silencers work using a stack of baffles to divert expanding gases when a bullet is fired. A rapidly-expanding gas makes noise, so slowing it down before allowing it to exit the firearm makes things quieter. Silencers are available for not only pistols but rifles and even shotguns. They are not available for revolvers due to the fact that the cylinder does not make an airtight seal with the barrel.
A threaded barrel is needed for a silencer to be attached. When buying a weapon it's good to get one with this option as it can generally be selected at time of purchase whereas, after purchase, a new barrel must be purchased separately and they are not always easy to find.
Some firearms work better with silencers than others because the added weight can cause cycling issues. Youtube reviews are a good resource.
A few things to know:
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Silencers usually (usually) do not fully "silence" a weapon as in a James Bond movie. For that reason they are sometimes called "suppressors", although according to the original patent the correct term is "silencer".
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A .22 can be si
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Decrease property taxes further for the residence that the tax payer lives in. In other words, increase the Homestead exemption.
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Increase property taxes on 2nd, 3rd. Etc properties.
You could even manipulate the numbers so that owners of 2 houses would break even. IE: the increase on their 2nd property equals the decrease of their 1st property, their residence.
In addition to helping drive investors out of the market, and thus making houses more affordable for first time homeowners, this would help combat gentrification, by allowing long term homeowners to stay in their houses and neighborhood.
People will argue about how the secondary and tertiary effects could actually hurt the single homeowner/prospective homeowner group, but that's all dishonest misdirection bullshit. It's like arguing that tax cuts on the rich actually help the middle class.
And yes, this is not a win/win situation. The city coffers want investors to drive up property values so they can collect more taxes. Realtors want property values as high as possible so they can collect more in commission. And homeowner who are selling and moving away would slightly lose from this.
But pretty much everyone else would benefit. First time homebuyers wouldn't have to compete with investors who may not even live here, or even in country. Residents would benefit from a more stable population that can afford to live here and invest in this city.
Any progressive groups want to take this on? It looks pretty complicated because taxes are governed by the state legislature but also the County Appraisal District, and the city and county? So I'm not sure where to really initiate this type of change.
"Quickly" as in how swift the reforms seem to have been once they started, but also in terms of how early this happened in US history. The fact that states once did have land ownership requirements seems to be an afterthought, given that this changed soon after the nation was founded.
For example, the George Washington Bridge in New York/New Jersey could be divided in many different ways. Is the lane approaching New York from New Jersey owned by New York or New Jersey? At what point do you cross to the other state? The middle of the bridge? The very end?
