Pair of pro-gun bills on move in House

[Adrahil]

12. Here's the thing....

A 5.56 millimeter caliber rifle is about 160 dB when fired.... enough to instantly damage the hearing of anyone close to the gun. Ear plug or muffs offer about 15-30 dB of protection. That means you can be wearing plugs or muffs and STILL damage your hearing. Wearing both together offers a total of about 35 dB protection on average, below the threshhold for instant damage.

A good sound suppressor lowers the rifle shot to the 130's... theoretically safe without further hearing protection, but very safe if you throw in some plugs or muffs.... but still as loud as an ambulance siren.

People's perception of what these things do are very much off.

Some smaller caliber weapons, using subsonic ammunition, can be made much quieter, but even then are not silent, and they are not as dangerous in mass shooting scenarios.