When Germans came into Poland, Poles made no more sporting shotguns.They made Sten clones. When Russians went into Chechniya, Chechens made no sporting shotguns, either. They made various submachine guns. Should US anti-gun creatures succeed in driving regular rifles and shotguns out of legal circulation, they will see more submachine guns as well. Sound suppressors would reduce the risk of discovery by authorities as well as the muzzle blast, so having a silenced gun would be safer for the user. Seems to me that the American anti-gun activists don't understand just how simple open-bolt weapons really are.
Might be worth educating them. Perhaps those who still think gun control is a good idea would give it up for pragmatic rather than ideological reasons...and if they will not, at least the fence-sitters would know gun control fans for the delusional critters they are.