Trump Expresses Concern About Gun Silencers in Wake of Virginia Shooting

In interview on British television, President Trump says he would consider a ban but doesn’t ‘love the idea’.

President Trump said he doesn’t like gun silencers and was open to considering a ban on the devices after one was used in a mass shooting last week in Virginia.

“I don’t like them,” Mr. Trump said in an interview that aired Wednesday morning on ITV’s “Good Morning Britain.” Asked if he would like to ban silencers, he said, “I would like to think about it” before quickly adding, “I don’t love the idea of it.”

For a person to buy a silencer, which reduces firearm noise by 20 to 35 decibels, the National Firearms Act currently requires fingerprints and photographs, a fee and a background check that can take up to a year. States also have varying restrictions on the devices, also known as suppressors.

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Mr. Trump was asked about silencers following a shooting in Virginia Beach, Va., in which 12 people were killed. A handgun used in the killings had a suppressor on it, police said, and officers recovered multiple empty extended magazines, which can hold more ammunition than regular magazines.

Critics of silencers argue they make it harder for law enforcement and others to detect gunfire. The firearms industry says silencers protect the hearing of gun owners and soften the recoil on guns.

In the interview, Mr. Trump said he was considering military action in Iran but that “I’d much rather talk.” He also declined to wade much further into the race to replace British Prime Minister Theresa May, saying that “you have a lot of good people running.”