Ron, I must partially disagree with you. It is true the BATF closely monitors legally possesed class III firearms. Here in Iowa the state law prohibits civilian possesion. How ever, there is no record of a legally possesed class III firearm in civilian hands having ever been used in a crime anywhere in the US since the 1930's.
The average criminal would have no concept of the requiremnts of a supressed weapon for subsonic ammo, etc. When suppressors were freely available they were mainly used for shooting garden pests in an urban invironment.
It is unfortunate that too many movies have employed the "revolver with silencer" resulting in a totally erroneous public perception of what a suppressor is, how it works, or what it is used for.
As for such criminal activity with class III firearms that does occur, it's mainly full auto weapons illegally possesed and smuggled in by organized drugs. As such it's totally outside the provinance of the BATF regulations. The most they can hope to do is arrest somebody for a violation after the fact.
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