Guns Fired During Shooting Can Damage Hearing - Rich Ranch

Welcome to 2013 all who follow this blog. May all your dreams and wishes be realized this year.
It is a hectic time of the year when we do not have staff as well think it is important for them to be with their families and we take on all their chores. It is also a time when we have the farm all to  ourselves.
We walk and jog, we fish and just relish the sun and the quiet. We close up the office and try not to miss anything electronic for a while.  We even stayed away from the TV.
This got me thinking when I received an article from John O'Connor. Although it is specifically geared toward shooters I think everyone should start realizing how noise can damage our hearing.


Thanks to John O'Connor - Enjoy his article

Guns Fired During Shooting Can Damage Hearing

Hunting is a very popular sport and hobby for many people, but few people are worried about protecting their hearing. Hunting can be detrimental to hearing if the proper hearing protection is not worn. Gunfire can be damaging to the ears of the shooter and also for people who are standing nearby. Hearing loss can take time to develop, but it will eventually become more prominent. People should protect their hearing now to ensure hearing in the future.

My father has been a hunter and outdoorsman for years.  Back in the day he rarely wore hearing protection when out on a hunt or at the range fine-tuning his shot.  Now many years later he is paying the price for his actions.  He currently is severely affected by hearing loss and uses hearing aids to help increase his hearing levels.  Without his hearing aids in he would have an extremely hard time hearing someone in a conversation or even hearing the radio in the car.  Hunting, although not the only cause, did play a major role in his decrease of hearing levels. 

What are the Causes of Hearing Loss While Hunting?

Hearing loss is caused by the sound of the gun firing when hunting. Experts know that noises over 80 dB are harmful and may lead to permanent exposure if the noise is repeated for extended periods of time.

Why You Should Protect Your Hearing While Hunting

Noise-induced hearing loss is common. The noise of a shotgun can trigger noise-induced hearing loss. The average shotgun can produce sounds greater than 160 or more decibels (dB). If a silencer is used, the gun produces 144 dB. These levels are well above the recommended limit.

How to Protect Hearing While Hunting and at the Shooting Range

To protect your hearing while you are hunting, you can wear earplugs, earmuffs or electronic earmuffs. Here are explanations of each type of hunting protection:

Earplugs

Earplugs are one of the first lines of defense when using firearms that produce sounds at high decibels. These earplugs often range in type of protection. The earplugs must be chosen wisely.

Earmuffs

Earmuffs provide excellent noise protection, and there are some models made for budgets of all types. Noise cancellation earmuffs provide some of the best protection available. Some people use both earplugs and earmuffs for additional protection. Most people enjoy the protection it provides but would like the ability to hear others while shooting at an indoor shooting range or at an outdoor shooting range.

Electronic Earmuffs

Electronic earmuffs have a noise-cancelling feature that is absolutely necessary for shooters that want to detect speech during its use. Any noise over 80 dB will cause the earmuffs to block all sound. Communication with others along with being able to hear incoming animals is much easier when using these earmuffs. 

Protect Your Hearing Before It is Too Late

You should protect your hearing before it is too late because no one wants to live without their hearing if they don’t have to. Consider these forms of protection to protect your hearing.  

Hi my name is John O'Connor, I am a father, outdoorsman and passionate about living a healthy lifestyle.  Over the past few years I have become more and more interested in hearing loss.  My father and grandfathers, who are and were all hunters, are affected by hearing loss.  I feel that there is a general lack of understanding around the issue and it is our job to spread awareness where we can.  Check out my new blog at bloggingwjohno.blogspot.com!