Hearing Protection
Also: Ear Pro
Plugs or muffs worn to guard hearing against the muzzle blast of a rifle, with extra need on guns wearing a muzzle brake.
Hearing protection means the earplugs or earmuffs a shooter wears to blunt the pressure wave of a gunshot. Rifle muzzle-blast easily exceeds the level at which a single unprotected exposure can cause permanent hearing loss, so protection is treated as mandatory rather than optional on any firing line. Each product carries a noise reduction rating, and many shooters double up with plugs under muffs for the loudest setups.
The need rises sharply with certain hardware. A muzzle-brake tames recoil by redirecting gas sideways, which makes the gun far louder for the shooter and anyone alongside, so a brake calls for the strongest protection you can wear. A silencer is the opposite kind of muzzle-device, lowering the report enough to reduce, though rarely fully eliminate, the risk, which is why many shooters still wear plugs even with one fitted.