I Was Hoping for an Opinion About Being Caught Up in a New Gun-Shooting Incident...

Yep, it happened again... until I can move my family homestead, I still have to mow my lawn sometimes. This time, a barrage of some jerk's 9mm went off - where they target practice. It was about 125 feet away, this incident. For those who don't know, this is an elusive bunch of youths (notorious local gang) - nothing can be done about it.

The Math:
160 dB - 31 dB (for the distance) means 129 dB where I was standing. Thankfully, I had on my Peltor X5A muffs on - which supposed to take off 31 dB more. That would leave me at 98 dB with around 15-20 shots for me to hear. And yes, it was f-ing loud! I cupped my muffs closer to my ears and walked hurriedly inside.

The ear that usually gets clogged is clogged, and I have a light and fleeting jingle-type sound introduced. Nothing horrible or anything.

Verdict regarding any genuine concerns here??

 

I would take magnesium supplement if I was you. Some might suggest something as extreme as prednisone, but I would leave that up to your doctor to decide.

I would highly suggest moving asap. Not only because of the sound exposure, but also because idiots are shooting guns 125 feet from your house. This is close enough for bullets to hit your house if something were to ever happen.

It still blows my mind the police will do nothing about this.

 

Dang, tough neighbors. I know when I mow my lawn I wear ear plugs plus NC headphones. A "notorious gang" that shoots their guns off next door to your house? Hmm..... seems like the local authorities might be interested in your neighbors "gun hobby".

 

Sorry to hear this happened!

Glad you had your earmuffs on, and Peltor X5's are about as good a muff as you can use. I would be concerned, but far less than if you had no protection on.

With this ridiculously loud noise exposures, consider adding ear plugs underneath the ear muffs for even better protection next time.

https://www.noisehelp.com/double-hearing-protection.html

 

Have you considered asking your neighbors about doing this at a certain time of day, or at least warning you beforehand?

 

Thanks @RichardGuy , I wish I could - but that would be even more dangerous... and useless, in this rare case. I have no choice but to sell, but that will be hard. We live in a mostly rural environment, and there is no 'hood' for at least 30 miles. It is just that this gang is buying up the neighborhood now - gangs make legit investments too. And it is not the clubhouse of merely any gang, it is purportedly one of the most famous, moneyed-up, and deadliest in the South. I would be dealing with these guys... I mean this is an actual set of these dudes - they're here in Columbia, SC metro where this Gangland documentary was filmed (see links below).

They were not here until fairly recently. I did call the cops once, when some strange guy was in my backyard messed up on something - threatening me - I didn't know it was one of them. This was about a week before the target practice started. Perhaps it is a coincidence - or maybe it is my (now 2 years) worth of retribution?? I have had no contact with any of them, ever, and I was not aware of the facts, before hand. The cop that came spent about a half hour doing something with them, after I made my formal complaint with him. Then he came back and told me I definitely do not want to file a police report on them. He said, no one from that group will ever come back on my property, but regardless, please do not ever cross them. And no one from over there ever did come back... My wife suspects they pay off the cops.

Gangland | Gangster Killer Bloods GKB

 

Austin Goh has some good videos on YouTube. He has one for tinnitus - but even better for my ears was one he did for sinus and ear clearing. It is a method of blowing he does - that clears tube from ear to throat - sinus nose...

 

Thanks, @Laurie1961 , I'm checking them out!

 

I grew up with some fairly nefarious and violent people.

I actually found when approaching people peacefully, people can be very accommodating. For example, hi neighbor, my name is Joe, and I suffer from a disease that is related to my hearing. Loud sounds like guns really hurt me. Would it be possible not to fire your guns off, or if you are, could you give me a heads up, so I can go inside and protect myself. Thanks for your consideration, here's my number. Cheers.

You would be surprised, even gangsters can be accommodating and have a heart. I can recount a few occasions in my life where please has worked wonders with heavies. If you're met with plane impolite hostility, at least you tried. You could even lie and say your kid has got hearing issues, so hey guys, please cool out on the fire arms. It's worth a try if you haven't done this. I would go straight to the source, not over their heads. That's me... good luck... tough situation.

 

@rtlewis88 Curious, when they shoot the guns do they wear ear protection?

 

No dont tell them about ur ear, if they are a gang they will catch u off guard on purpose. They will have no real understanding of a ear problem. im in same situation. I told my 43yr old neighbor my ear troubles, So naturally he started shooting daily, and took the muffler off his motorcyle. He is like mad I wont play w him or something. I cant believe ppl are this messed up. Its been misery he is truly the neighbor from hell. There have been times he will shoot as I walk outside. I started hoping a bullet comes down and hits him, it relieves my anxiety, the hope that one day he hurts hisself. Ive nvr known anyone who deserved karma so much.

 

You seem to live in a dangerous place, I would move out of there asap. Also invest in good gun mufflers and wear it every time you are outside (no exceptions)

 

Hah, @Ken219 ,I doubt it - they're a youth-gang, with little guidance, I'm pretty sure.

I too have wondered that same thing, a little, though...

 

@Nonna , exactly!

You're one of the very few who get that...

 

there are no genuine concerns and I question your math. Would need a dB meter to be sure, but my own experiences playing with guns and dB meters vs these calculators is that the reality is generally quieter, often by a lot. For instance, 140 is often given as the reference dB for .22 rifle, but I've never been able to get a reading higher than 120 out of Ruger 10/22 burst fire; 140 is closer to a .22 pistol.

The unofficial county firing range is about 2000' from my property line; sometimes I go down there and see what's going on. But we don't have gang issues here, just bored hunters in the off season.

I'm going to make the really obvious point that you don't like these people, you seem to have very good reasons for not liking them because they sound really unpleasant. All of that adds up to a very emotionally charged situation which is very difficult to be rational about. Put differently, if the people who lived there were people you loved and deeply respected like kin, and your only problem was that they were prone to firing guns at unpredictable times and unwilling to give any warning... you would probably be less bothered by the whole thing (and with good reason).

I know all about crazy gun owning neighbors; once in my youth, my parents were standing about 10' apart and a bullet from next door passed in between them. Cops were called, were equally useless, and this set up a similar cycle of dislike and retaliation (at one point they slashed our tires!)

 

Gangs scare me =[

 

Yeh, as time passes, it all just seems like an overblown thing, with the noise... until the next unexpected burst of goodies. I really appreciate the candor, and depths you went through to get your point across; it takes that with us T-heads a lot of times. You make more sense than I deserve.

Thanks for all that, @linearb !