Hearing protection use for home defense?

[Sylvain]

Do you keep ear muffs next to your home defense gun?
Why or why not?

Should you take the extra two seconds to put ear muffs on when you hear a noise inside your home at night?

Shooting a loud gun inside your home can be a problem and you're most likely to be deaf for a few minutes after you shot your gun without any hear protection.
Im not even talking about permanent ear damage days, weeks, and months after the shooting.

If you live with family how are you comunicate with them after your fired your gun?
If you live alone, how are you going to hear the 911 dispatcher on the phone when you report the shooting?
Or even deal with the police if they show up at your door in the next 10 minutes?

For me it's worth to "lose" two seconds to put the muffs on to later be able to hear people around you.
Keep in mind that you want to preserve your hearing to be able to hear the good guys (family, friends, lawyer, police) after your first shot, but also to hear the potential other bad guys coming.
What if you fire one shot, you miss, your ears shut down, and then you cant hear if the BG moved to the room on the right or on the left.
Or you could hit your target and not hear other bad guys coming from the back of the house.

Also if you decide to take the extra time to put hear protection on then why not take the time to wear eye protection as well?
If you need to shoot a shotgun inside a house with concrete walls a few feet away from the wall it could be a good idea to protect your eyes as well.
If you're used to wear both ear and eye protection at the range (like you should) then you're already more familiar shooting with those that you are shooting without them.

Typo in the title, I meant to type "Hear protection use FOR home defense?"

EDIT: got it for you. SDH

 

[themadmedic]

I have a pair of electronic ear pro in safe room and a pair with bedside weapons. They are clipping ones that I had before upgrading the ones I use on the range. I think the benefit goes beyond just the ability to hear in the moments after the shot(s) but also limiting the disorienting effect that it can have.

 

[threefiftyfour]

I will be moving mine tonight

 

[Sylvain]

I will be moving mine tonight

 

[gunman41mag]

i have ear plugs

 

[Expat]

I think I would be afraid of missing the sound of the bad guy.

 

[T-Mann]

No, I don't keep them by the bedside.

I didn't wear eye and ear protection while I was patrolling as a LEO either. If something goes bump in the night, I will be disoriented enough trying to wake up and assess the situation.

I don't want or need to lose those "two seconds" seconds you speak of, they could make all of the difference in the world. Plus, with hearing protection on, it hinders my ability to listen to sounds that might be out of place when it matters the most. I can communicate with my wife and children via hand signals later if need be, and they will understand.

Just my $0.02. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[mrortega]

My pistol is on top of the safe in the master bedroom closet and my electronic ears are right next to it. The Mrs. has hers in a chest on her side of the bed. I wouldn't think of touching off a pistol in the house without ear protection.

 

[Sylvain]

I think I would be afraid of missing the sound of the bad guy.

No, I don't keep them by the bedside.

I didn't wear eye and ear protection while I was patrolling as a LEO either. If something goes bump in the night, I will be disoriented enough trying to wake up and assess the situation.

I don't want or need to lose those "two seconds" seconds you speak of, they could make all of the difference in the world. Plus, with hearing protection on, it hinders my ability to listen to sounds that might be out of place when it matters the most. I can communicate with my wife and children via hand signals later if need be, and they will understand.

Just my $0.02. Different strokes for different folks.

Electronic ear muffs.

 

[strokin7.3]

I'm gonna do it like they do in the movies... shoot all day inside a house and then be able to hear perfectly when the person next to me whispers

 

[VN Vet]

My ear plugs are sound activated. I will put them on my night stand tonight.

Thanks you for this thread.

 

[SmileDocHill]

Electronic ear muffs.

Yeah, I don't think they are accounting for that. I have ELECTRONIC muffs and have them by the bed. I'm not as concerned about hearing loss because that will be overshadowed by the possibility of life loss at the time. I do like the ability to have almost superhero hearing while walking through my house, let alone possibly being the only one that can hear for a while after a shot goes off.

I would add to the conversation that if you have electronic muffs, put them on, turn them on and walk around your house in the dead of night. Your house makes a lot of noise you don't recognize without them. If the first time you wear them is when you think you have someone in your house it would be easy to mistake those noises.

 

[strokin7.3]

Yeah, I don't think they are accounting for that. I have ELECTRONIC muffs and have them by the bed. I'm not as concerned about hearing loss because that will be overshadowed by the possibility of life loss at the time. I do like the ability to have almost superhero hearing while walking through my house, let alone possibly being the only one that can hear for a while after a shot goes off.

I would add to the conversation that if you have electronic muffs, put them on, turn them on and walk around your house in the dead of night. Your house makes a lot of noise you don't recognize without them. If the first time you wear them is when you think you have someone in your house it would be easy to mistake those noises.

Do they really amplify sound that much? I'm pretty hard of hearing as it is, then you throw some plugs in my ears and I cant hear anything anybody is saying to me while were out shooting. Was wondering if these were worth the money?!

 

[lovemachine]

Hearing protection for home defense.

I like the idea. I can see how they'd be helpful.

But I often wonder what the police and lawyers would think of that. Is that something that could be used against you?

 

[Sylvain]

Hearing protection for home defense.

I like the idea. I can see how they'd be helpful.

But I often wonder what the police and lawyers would think of that. Is that something that could be used against you?

You mean because you put them on you planned to use your gun?

Then they could just use the fact that you own a gun against you.

 

[lovemachine]

You mean because you put them on you planned to use your gun?

Then they could just use the fact that you own a gun against you.

There was a thread with a good discussion on this very subject a year or so ago...

 

[JB357Mag]

Hearing protection for home defense.

I like the idea. I can see how they'd be helpful.

But I often wonder what the police and lawyers would think of that. Is that something that could be used against you?

Good point!

My ears are 1/2 screwed anyway, a gunshot probably wont make much
of a difference.

Years of guitar playing will do that to ya.

I will use muffs at the range though.

Jimmy

 

[SmileDocHill]

Do they really amplify sound that much? I'm pretty hard of hearing as it is, then you throw some plugs in my ears and I cant hear anything anybody is saying to me while were out shooting. Was wondering if these were worth the money?!

Not in your ears (plugs), I'm talking about muff style hearing protection. Basically they block all noise, but have little speakers on the inside and microphone on the outside. That way they can be selective and allow the safe range noises to come in and instantly turn off DURING the loud bang. At the range if you have a conversation the conversation gets "cut out" during the actual BANG. but you can talk like you didn't have muffs or plugs in.
You can turn them up more and hear the breeze through the trees, the rustling of grass or carpet under your feet, the bumping sound of valves opening and shutting and the sound of water flowing through the pipes because your water softener is doing its nightly cycle....

 

[strokin7.3]

Hearing protection for home defense.

I like the idea. I can see how they'd be helpful.

But I often wonder what the police and lawyers would think of that. Is that something that could be used against you?

Put them away before the cops get there?

 

[Raskolnikov]

Absolutely not...if I'm aroused from sleep in the middle of the night, the last thing I'm going to think about doing is putting on ear protection. Sure, in the rare case that I would actually fire my weapon, I may suffer hearing loss. However, I think that it is a risk I am willing to take to avoid fumbling around for one extra thing in the dark. As others have mentioned, I would also want to keep my hearing as keen as possible during the event.