Hearing protection should always be part of firearm safety. People who regularly use firearms without adequate protection are at risk of experiencing hearing loss, especially high frequency sounds such as "th," "s," or "v."

The following information discusses why hearing protection is important and describes the different types of protection available.
 

The Decibel Range of Firearms

A decibel is used to measure the level or intensity of a sound, and for every 3 decibels, the sound is twice as loud. Not all firearms produce the same level of noise. For instance, a .22 caliber rifle will produce a noise level of approximately 145 decibels, while a 44 revolver will raise the level to about 170 decibels. Most other firearms will fall somewhere between