Gun owners who fire their guns regularly are one of the highest risk groups for hearing damage or hearing loss. Wearing ear protection every time you practice shooting can protect you from permanent hearing damage.
Suppressors are not enough to protect your ears from hearing loss. There are a wide range of ear protection products available on the market to save your hearing. Disposable ear plugs that you buy at the drugstore are not sufficient on their own to protect your hearing. Ear muffs are far more effective.
Passive and Active Ear Muffs
Ear muffs come in two different types. Passive ear muffs block out all types of sounds, from gunshots to human voices. If you’re using these on the range, you won’t be able to have a conversation without taking off the ear muffs.
If you take off the ear muffs while you’re at the range, you risk having your ears damaged by nearby shots. Some types of passive ear muffs are designed to allow low frequency sounds to pass through.
Active ear muffs are an excellent option to use at the shooting range. These types of earmuffs include electronic noise-cancelling hearing protection that reduces sounds to a level that will not damage your hearing.
This design allows users to hear everything that is going on around them, which is a great benefit to shooters whether they’re practicing on the range or hunting.
Assess Your Needs
Do your research before purchasing ear protection. Ear plugs provide only a minimum level of protection and should not be your sole source of ear protection when shooting.
If you are an avid hunter or shooter, it will be worth it to purchase electronic ear muffs for ear protection and safety. If you’re an infrequent shooter who’s looking for ear protection at the range, passive ear muffs are probably adequate.
The firing range is no place to worry about style.
After a few years of steady training, you’ll begin to feel the effects of firing without ear protection. You’ll wish you cared less about your fashion and will want to go back in time and put ear protection on your younger self.
Ear Protection Improves Accuracy
With your hearing protected, you can focus on your shot. You can’t concentrate well if your body and mind are busy anticipating seriously loud noise. Good hearing protection will help you get in the zone and decrease distractions.
