This article suggests ways to reduce the threat of hearing loss for police officers due to their exposure to the noise level experienced in firearm training.
Researchers have assessed the sound pressure level effects of suppression, ammunition, and barrel length for AR-15 rifles. Suppressors (silencers) were found to be helpful in mitigating noise; however, it is still necessary to use hearing protection devices such as earmuffs and earplugs during firearms training. In order to promote these measures for preventing hearing loss as a result of firearms training, Ryan Lee Scott, deputy sheriff in Gainesville, FL, developed an educational workshop, Firearms Training and Hearing Loss, which is a 90-minute presentation provided free to law enforcement agencies in Florida. The workshop covers audiology research studies and the potential for unprotected exposure to firearms sounds to damage hearing, along with the importance of using properly fitted hearing protection devices such as earplugs and earmuffs, along with firearms suppressors.