Suppressor

A suppressor attachment

A suppressor is a device attached to a firearm to reduce the amount of noise and flash generated by firing the weapon. It generally takes the form of a cylindrically-shaped metal tube that is fit onto the barrel of the firearm, with various internal mechanisms to reduce the sound of firing by slowing the escaping propellant gas, and sometimes by reducing the velocity of the bullet.

Appearances in Halo

The suppressor does not appear anywhere in the series, although it is mentioned in The Art of Halo, on the M7S Submachine Gun, a variant of the M7 Caseless Submachine Gun. The M7S was also used by Staff Sergeant Byrne and Staff Sergeant Johnson in the beginning of Halo: Contact Harvest.

Trivia

• The original plan for the suppressor, which was around the time of World War II, was to modify the sound of the weapon firing into a different, unrecognizable sound, rather than to "suppress" the weapon, as its name suggests.
• The popular name for the suppressor is "silencer", but this is a misnomer.