When most people think of a gun silencer, they think it’s “Hollywood quiet,” said Eric Eesley.

You know how it goes — when the bad guy in the movies or TV fires a gun with a silencer, it often sounds as if someone just spit out his gum.

Eesley, a salesman at Black Wing Shooting Center in Delaware, said he sells plenty of silencers, but he often has to first educate people about the reality. A silenced gun still makes quite a bang.

More than 20 lawmakers or their aides gathered yesterday at Black Wing to learn a similar lesson and hear from an expert on how silencers, or suppressors, can affect the noise levels of hunting rifles. The event was organized by the Buckeye Firearms Association in an effort to gain support for House Bill 234, which would allow hunting with a suppressor.

“The reduction in noise is a little easier on the ears,” Eesley said, adding that it can also reduce recoil, making the gun more accurate. “It makes it quite nice to shoot.”

Observers gathered in the center’s indoor shooting range, where they could listen up close to the difference between a silenced and unsilenced .45-caliber pistol and .308-caliber rifle.

Standing just a few feet from the shooter, Eric Bielefeld, an assistant professor in Ohio State University’s Department of Speech and Hearing Science, held a noise-monitoring device.

Supporters of the bill argue that allowing use of a suppressor would help protect hunters from hearing damage; make it easier for hunters, particularly children, to hear commands from others; and make hunting less of a nuisance for those living nearby.But some members of the committee hearing the bill have expressed concern that muffling the sound of a hunting rifle would make it difficult for others in the woods to know when hunters are nearby. Some also worry that property owners would no longer be able to hear when someone is illegally hunting on their land.

The shooter fired five unsilenced rounds with the pistol, startling those watching nearby who got the full effect that an indoor range provides. After adding the silencer, he fired five more loud but noticeably quieter shots. He repeated the demonstration with the rifle.

The unsilenced pistol registered 119 decibels to 122 decibels, compared with 96 to 101 when “ silenced.” For the rifle, the unsilenced shots were 126 to 131 decibels versus a maximum 110 when silenced.

“It’s taking it down from a level that is unsafe to one that is safe,” Bielefeld said.

He said he has seen plenty of hunters with hearing damage, many of whom can hear a conversation but have trouble making out the words.

When silenced, a gun still can be heard several hundred feet away, Bielefeld said.

The popularity of silencers in Ohio has grown. According to U.S. Justice Department data, in April 2013, Ohio had nearly 25,400 registered silencers, ranking fourth behind Florida, Georgia and Texas.

“It seems to me the noise is still fairly significant,” said Rep. Mike Curtin, D-Marble Cliff, who said he hasn’t fired a gun since his days of ROTC training in 1970. “For me, unless I hear serious reservations from law enforcement or the Farm Bureau Federation, I’m not sure who would have problems with this legislation.”

Rep. Cheryl Grossman, R-Grove City, a lead sponsor of the bill, was happy with the demonstration.

“When you’re talking about permanent hearing loss for those who are hunters ... it does make a difference,” she said.