How Can Shooters Safeguard Their Ears and Hearing?

America’s passion for guns is almost unique in the world; we were raised with movies and TV about police and cowboys and heroes who were all totin’ guns and firing them all the time. The impression from these images was definitely powerful, because America continues to have millions of gun owners who shoot them on a regular basis, at firing ranges or while hunting. The downside not fully conveyed to these millions of gun owners is that the folks firing guns on TV and in motion pictures probably ended up deaf, or battling with serious hearing disabilities.

Hearing loss from noise exposure, named noise-induced hearing loss or NIHL, is among the most widespread types of hearing disability. The damage done to the ears by loud sounds has two primary types – damage caused by sustained high noise levels (e.g. heavy machinery sounds) and damage caused by transient high noise levels (e.g. explosions or gunfire).

Noise levels are measured on the decibel scale. Zero decibels is complete silence. A library is around 40 decibels. A normal conversation measures around 50 to 60 decibels. The logarithmic nature of the decibels scale is tough for many people. A value of 50 is twice as loud as 40, 60 is four times as loud as 40, and 70 is eight times as loud as 40 decibels. Prolonged exposure to sounds over 90 decibels (for example a motorcycle) can cause permanent hearing loss within weeks. Hearing damage can also arise in a much shorter time (minutes) from exposure to higher decibel noise levels, for instance the 120 decibels you experience around close to a jet engine or rock concert.

A typical gunshot measures 140 decibels.

One topic that most gun owners and hearing specialists agree about is that nobody should be firing a gun without using some form of ear protection. Finding the best suited ear protection depends upon the form of shooting you plan to do.

With regard to outdoor or indoor firing ranges, a “muff” type headphone that fits over the ear is recommended. The muff-type headphone has the ability to shield your inner ear and also the cochlear bones from the gunfire sounds. Numerous shooters augment the over-the-ear muffs by also using in-the-ear foam plugs with a NRR (Noise Reduction Rating) of 30 or higher. For even greater protection, go with headphones with electronic noise-cancelling technology. They are the costliest choice, but also provide maximum level of protection. Electronic noise-cancelling headphones have the additional advantage of permitting you to hear normal-volume conversations while blocking out the transient gunshots.

If you like shooting guns, before your next outing to the range, talk to a hearing care specialist about hearing protection. Then stick to the advice they give, while you can still hear them saying it.