[TennTexan]

Skans,

I think anyone who grew up around guns has probably shot them without ear pro at some point. When I was younger I shot .22 rifles and pistols and even my Winchester 94 without hearing protection. I can still hear, too, but not nearly as well as I used to.

My point about hearing loss being cumulative is that, above a certain decibel level sound pressure causes physical damage to the internal structures of the ear. Even one gunshot can cause some level of permanent, irreparable damage to your hearing. Granted, it might be a small amount of damage, but it is damage nonetheless and every little bit of hearing damage adds up over time. One day, you realize that you have to keep asking people to repeat themselves in conversation a lot more frequently than you used to if there is any appreciable amount of background noise present.

I believe strongly in personal freedom, and if you or anyone else wants to shoot a gun without ear pro while drinking a 2-liter of diet Coke and swimming in the ocean naked on a sunny day without any SPF, more power to you. I just wanted the OP to understand the very real dangers of shooting a gun in an enclosed space.