MINNEAPOLIS — There’s a scene in the movie “John Wick: Chapter 2,” in which no one else notices the shootout between the movie’s star, Keanu Reeves, and another dude because their pistols are equipped with “silencers.”

Memo to the Writers Guild of America: There are no gun silencers. Only gun suppressors.

Suppressors don’t make guns silent when fired.

They do, however, reduce a firearm’s “bang” to a level that leaves a shooter’s ear drums intact.

Which for most people who own suppressors — or who wish they did — is the point.

The topic arises because — surprisingly to everyone except the relatively few Americans who are suppressor savvy — President Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, which is now law, removes the $200 federal tax stamp that was required to purchase a suppressor.

The change is effective beginning in 2026, and eventually is expected to boost suppressor sales.

Gun opponents aren’t happy with the switcheroo.

“Quite frankly, what is in the reconciliation bill does more to support assassins than it does American families,” U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, a Massachusetts Democrat, was quoted as saying.

To put such hyperbole in context, let’s look at some facts:

— Minnesota is among 42 states where suppressors can be legally purchased. But buying a suppressor is considerably more cumbersome than purchasing a hunting rifle or shotgun. It’s a virtual certainty that no John Wick-type character would submit to the fingerprinting, photo submission and other requirements, including two contacts with a local sheriff. Also, suppressors are stamped with serial numbers and assigned to specific buyers, with records retained by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

— Hunters represent perhaps a third of suppressor purchasers. Primarily, they want to save their hearing. Also, they don’t want to scare away game if they miss a shot. And they don’t want to disturb other game in the area (where their buddies might be hunting).

— Most of the remaining 60% or so of suppressor purchasers are target shooters or enthusiasts who plink at ranges for fun or in competition. In addition to quieting a gun, suppressors reduce recoil, making shooting more comfortable without affecting accuracy.

— Suppressors aren’t cheap. Most are made of titanium and/or stainless steel, which are durable and lightweight. Depending on the firearm caliber to be fitted, buyers can spend about $500 to about $1,200 for most suppressors. In some cases, suppressors can fit multiple guns. In other cases, they are gun (or at least caliber) specific. Older gun barrels sometimes have to be threaded so suppressors can be attached. Many new firearms come threaded from the factory, and some are offered in short versions so they aren’t overlong if suppressors are attached.

— Suppressors, unfortunately, like some guns, can be made by knowledgeable people using 3D printers.

Interesting as those facts are, this one is even more so:

The founder of the nation’s largest suppressor manufacturer and retailer isn’t now, nor has he ever been what is commonly referred to as a gun nut.

Nor is he a ballistician or an engineer of any type.

He’s a pharmacist from Sioux Falls, S.D.

“Some years ago I became interested in shooting prairie dogs, and to do it I’d drive four or five hours west of Sioux Falls,” said Brandon Maddox, 53, founder and CEO of Silencer Central (OK, movies aren’t the only ones that misname suppressors) headquartered in Sioux Falls, S.D. “I found out rather quickly that after you shoot a few times, the other prairie dogs are frightened by the sound and go in their holes and don’t come back out. That was a long way to drive to learn that, so I purchased a suppressor.”

Fast forward 20 years, and Maddox’s company is doing about $120 million in annual sales.

“We’re actually two companies in one, we’re a manufacturer of suppressors and we’re also a licensed dealer in the 42 states where suppressors are legal,” he said. “I started the company because I thought I could improve the process of buying a suppressor.”

As it has for the last 10 years or so, Silencer Central will have a booth at Game Fair when it opens Friday in Ramsey for two three-day weekends. Anyone who wants to buy a suppressor at the booth can have their fingerprints and photos taken on site and the proper government forms filled out and sent to ATF electronically.

“A copy of the paperwork is also sent to the purchaser’s local sheriff,” Maddox said. “The sheriff will also be notified a second time after we receive final approval from the ATF. Then we ship the suppressor to the buyer.”

Kory Krause, owner of Frontiersman Sports in St. Louis Park, has a kiosk in his store designed to make suppressor purchases as straight-forward as possible.

“The kiosk allows the purchaser to enter all of his or her personal information, and for fingerprints and photographs to be taken right there,” Krause said. “There’s a small charge to use it unless you buy specific models of suppressors. Then it’s free.”

Suppressor ownership comes with federal and sometimes state rules, Krause stressed, and hunters need to be particularly aware of regulations in states where suppressors are illegal.

Some gun advocates had hoped the Big Beautiful Bill would have made buying a suppressor similar to purchasing a hunting shotgun or rifle, which in most cases can be done in almost real time by people without arrest records.

Their argument is that suppressors are essentially guns by another name and that restrictions governing them should be limited by recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions regarding gun ownership.

Perhaps the Supreme Court will someday rule specifically on suppressors. Until it does, some states will continue to ban them. And purchasing suppressors will require detailed information submitted to federal and local authorities.

“Minnesota is a big state for Silencer Central in terms of the number of suppressors we sell there,” Maddox said. “It’s not Texas, which is number one in sales in part because they allow night hunting for wild hogs. But Minnesota is pretty good.”

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