Gun Noise (NPR: "Military Tries To Cut Through The Noise Of War")

Prior to tinnitus I enjoyed shooting as a sport but no longer take a chance, even with plugs and muffs the sounds are still hazardous. I am throughly annoyed with the State of NJ for not allowing suppressors to be privately owned. There are a good number of states that do but not NJ. We have OSHA worrying about all sorts of BS but here's a real hazard that can be avoided and the law doesn't allow it. Crazy.

 

The first time I fired a .303 rifle in the RAF the sudden noise gave me a whistling in my right ear which lasted three day and nights. The RAF gave me no earmuffs or earplugs when I fired the gun and I think it was negligent of them. What ear protection do American soldiers wear in battle? Do you know what Brits wear? My ear now has a rapid reduction in sensitivity which increases with the frequency of the sound. Also I got tinnitus as a result of contracting Meniere's disease but that's nothing to do with the RAF.

 

Suppressors will finally be legal in most states, probably not CA or CO, but I imagine most others.

Unprotected hearing was more than likely the biggest contributor to my T. However, I still shoot whenever I have the chance. I just use very good muffs. If it is going to be a very large caliber rifle I'll use plugs and muffs.

 

Yes, over 140~160 decibel is hideous, especially considering that they are logarithmic unit. The sound's not something you can block by earplugs and peltor ones.