EYE AND EAR PROTECTION
Proper ear and eye protection is a must when shooting. It is interesting to note that the infamous silencers associated with mob hits, now largely illegal to possess, were originally devised to protect the hearing of everyday shooters. Fortunately, relatively inexpensive hearing protectors are available which afford an appropriate level of hearing protection for the shooter.
EYE PROTECTION
Prescription eye glasses, especially when fitted with side shields, are generally considered to be suitable eye protection while shooting. Plain glasses with polycarbonate lenses work well for those with naturally good vision.
HEARING PROTECTION
From a physical perspective, sound, including noise, is a rapid alteration of air pressure above and below atmospheric pressure. In air at approximately 70 degrees Fahrenheit, the speed of sound is 1129 feet per second. Excessive noise can cause permanent or temporary loss of hearing. Continuous exposure to high-level noise is more harmful than intermittent or occasional exposure.
The decibel, dB, is the unit used to express physical intensity or pressure levels of sound. It is dimensionless. The decibel is one-tenth of the bel, a unit using common logarithms named for Alexander Graham Bell. The starting or reference point for noise level measurement is 0 dB, which corresponds to the threshold of hearing for a young person with a very healthy ear. The threshold of pain is 120 dB. Because of the logarithmic nature of the decibel as a unit of measurement, 10 dB is 10 times more intense than 1 dB, 20 dB is 100 times (10 x 10) more intense, and 30 dB is 1000 times (10 x 10 x 10) more intense.
Noise levels, dB, associated with various activities are summarized as follows:
| Noise Level | Response | Conversational Relationship | |
| Rocket Launch | 180 | ||
| 150 | |||
| Carrier Deck/Jet Operation | 140 | ||
| Gun Shot | 140 | Painfully Load | |
| 130 | Limit Amplified Speech | ||
| Jet Takeoff (200 ft) | 120 | Maximum Vocal Effect | |
| Discotheque | 120 | ||
| Auto Horn (3 ft) | 120 | ||
| Riveting Machine | 110 | ||
| Jet Takeoff (2000 ft) | 110 | ||
| Garbage Truck | 100 | Shouting in Ear | |
| Chain Saw | 100 | ||
| Snowmobile | 100 | ||
| New York Subway Station | 100 | Very Annoying | |
| Heavy Truck (50 ft) | 90 | Hearing Damage (8 hr) | Shouting at 2 ft |
| Lawn Mower | 90 | ||
| Shop Tools | 90 | ||
| Pneumatic Drill (50 ft) | 80 | Annoying | Very Loud Conversation 2 ft |
| Alarm Clock | 80 | ||
| Rock Band | 80 | ||
| Freight Train (50 ft) | 80 | ||
| Freeway Traffic (50 ft) | 70 | Telephone Use Difficult | Loud Conversation, 2 ft Possible contribution to hearing impairment begins |
| Air-Conditioning Unit (20 ft) | 60 | Intrusive | Loud Conversation, 4 ft |
| Light Auto Traffic (100 ft) | 50 | Quiet | Normal Conversation, 12 ft |
| Average home | 50 | ||
| Bedroom | 40 | Quiet | |
| Soft Whisper (15 ft) | 30 | Very Quiet | |
| Quiet Library | 30 | ||
| Broadcasting Studio | 20 | ||
| 10 | Just Audible | ||
| 0 | Threshold of Hearing |
A practical and economical method of noise control is provided by the personal ear protector. This type of device consists of properly fitted ear muffs which provide a good seal around the ear, joined by an adjustable head piece. Good hearing protectors not only attenuate sound, they are also comfortable, durable and relatively simple. Note that some earplugs may also provide significant sound attenuation. Dry cotton plugs, however, do not provide any significant hearing protection whatsoever.
Good hearing protectors will reduce the sound of a gunshot, 140 dB, to a level at which impairment to hearing will not occur.