When did ear and eye protection become common place?

Primitive eye protection becomes a liability in combat, when it gets fogged up from exertion. This is why it has not been used historically. As for ear protection, sometimes it's more important to hear what your buddies are saying, than to muffle out gunshots. Granted with modern electronic muffs/plugs that amplify low noises and cancel loud ones, there's absolutely zero reason to not use them. Same with modern non-fogging/ventilated eye protection.

Huh? What did you say? SPEAK UP!

When I entered law enforcement in '76 the only place I ever saw muffs was on the academy range. Most wore sunglasses but it wasn't required. Any other time only sissies wore hearing protection and even then it was a coupla empty .38 cases or cigarette filters stuffed in your ears.

Believe me when I say, "WEAR EYE AND EAR PROTECTION!!"

You can thank me when you hear your grandchildren speak.

WHAT?!

OH! Eye protection?! Probably when people started losing eyesight to FMJ shards, chipping backstops, etc!!!

Oh, and the US Military started using eye/ear pro because of the uptick in shrapnel-based attacks (IED's and mortars) and because a bunch of OIF/OEF vets claimed hearing loss on their VA claims due to the loud sounds of machine guns, bombs and Humvee/Bradley/113 engines!

WHAT?!!

You know how many times I've had a casing hit my eye guards at full force. A direct hit to the eye would cause injury...why chance it?

When I went through BCT in 1967 we were issued rubber ear plugs in a plastic container. I went though in the summer so we chained them to our fatigue shirts, in cooler weather guys wore them fastened to an epaulet on the field jacket. I got my first pair of earmuffs in 1972. I recall one of Bill Jordan's columns where he said he wished modern eye and ear protection had been avilable when he was shooting competively in the 1930s, '40s and '50s, he said his last pair of hearing aids cost him $1000. Hazarding a guess I 'd say ear protection became widespread in the 1960s and eye protection in the 1980s.

When I started shooting around 1974 it was not uncommon that some people did not use hearing protection. It was a common sight to see old and experienced shooters without muffs or earplugs. I always used hearing protection but quite a few guys didn't back then.

Thanx, Russ

Ear protection has always been required. Eye protection, though, didn't really catch on much here in Arizona until the last few years. Granted, sunglasses have always been common at outdoor ranges, primarily due to the harsh sun, but until the last couple of years eye protection has never been a major thing. You didn't start seeing it until it was literally forced on people by range rules changes.

I can see why, though. Arizona is hot, and safety glasses are just one more thing to fog up, trap heat close to your skin, get sweat on them and impede your vision, and just generally make you more miserable. They're not at all fun to wear, and I'll fully admit I wasn't happy when the local outdoor range started requiring them. I understand why they're considered necessary, but in this climate they can sometimes push the misery level from barely tolerable to where it's just not fun to shoot.

Articles on the need for hearing protection and the long term effect of noise on hearing were published in the American Rifleman in the 1950s and early 1960s.

In the mid nineteen-sixties (Vietnam Era) the Marine Corps infantry and artillery units were not issued hearing or eye protection. At Parris Island we were given some cotton to place in our ears which was a looks good feels good non solution to hearing loss.

After the island at ITR (Infantry Training Regiment) Camp Geiger no hearing or eye protection was in evidence there either.

Vietnam was what it was with no consideration of eye or hearing protection. I receive a disability check each month form the VA for having to say “Pardon Me What Did You Say” all the time.

The first sound reduction muffs I had were Clark’s(?) acquired during the early nineteen-seventies. OSHA was formed in 1971(?). I’d say that’s when hearing and eye protection as a trend started with general acceptance occurring over a period of time

Hearing protection

I really need to save the following as a word doc. So I can cut and paste it as necessary.
For years I rode off road motorcycles, played with race cars, drove at highway speeds with the window down, and shot high powered handguns without hearing protection. I now have a sever hearing loss and it is not getting better with age. Regardless of the jokes I make about convenient hearing, it’s very frustrating to me and everyone I have to communicate with.

Everyone PLEASE use hearing protection not just at the range but whenever necessary.

@oldbear: It's interesting to find out who does/doesn't wear earplugs while riding a motorcycle. I have to say it cuts down the fatigue quite a bit, especially on the days I spend all day in the saddle.

You can thank me when you hear your [strike]grandchildren[/strike] children speak.

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For years I rode off road motorcycles, played with race cars, drove at highway speeds with the window down, and shot high powered handguns without hearing protection.

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+1,000,000

I'm in my mid 30's and my hearing is absolutely horrid.

in the late 80's / early 90's I used to goose hunt a lot and started guiding. Some years I would hunt 40-50 days out of a 3 month season. Of course I "needed" to hear my surroundings and the birds so I never wore any protection at all (dumb). And it wasn't uncommon to shoot off 2-4 boxes of 10 ga or 12ga 3.5" magnum shots.

I bass fish a lot now and funny you mentioned the motorcycles - running at 70mph I get tired of hearing wind noise and I've started wearing some hearing protection too.

When I was a teen in the early 1960s, I never had ear protection for plinking or even NRA Junior Smallbore under adult supervision. Nobody had eye protection that I recall, but I have long been dependent on glasses.

I still see a lot of rifle shooters without eye protection, even in formal competition. Some wear those monocle affairs which have a small lens to clear up the sights but are not a lot of protection, even with a thin plastic blinder over the off eye.

Pistol shooters apparently take more care of their senses... or is it just the IDPA and USPSA range rules which require "eyes and ears?"

If you ever shot a gun with no hearing protection.... you will never want to do that again.

If you ever shot a gun with no hearing protection.... you will never want to do that again.

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I grew up doing it outdoors. I wouldn't say it was that unbearable. But it is enough to lead to hearing damage. I would never recommend it. But if you've never fired a .45 that you carry sans protection, you'll be in for a surprise that may cause a moment's pause in self defense settings.

However, firing large calibers in small, enclosed rooms or inside a vehicle is an eye opening experience.

I wish I had used protection way back when with all of my loud hobbies...see post #14.

I didn't believe the guy I was helping when mounting some telephone equipment in a smallish closet using those .22 blank driven nail. He set one off, then told me where I could find earplugs in his bag.

I was shooting pistols outside once and my rubber earplug things were a bit loose in my left ear.... and I certainly had a bit of ringing in the ear for a bit.

I'm thinking about doubling up using muffs and plugs.

metalman8600 said:

If you ever shot a gun with no hearing protection.... you will never want to do that again.

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you're kidding right?

I started shooting in the late 60's with neither eyes nor ears but back then I thought a shooting range was the backyard the river or the RR tracks.

I always wore safety glasses while running a machine but hearing protection wasn't required in most places in the factory back then.

Didn’t start wearing glasses hunting until the mid 80's and to this day hearing protection only when plinking and I just got my first pair of muffs for Christmas.

i only wear eyes when i go hunting birds because i like to be able to hear and a lot of pepole go to the place i go.

i figure my greatest danger would be some pelets coming through a hedgerow someone dosent know im on the other side of plus i only fire 1-5 rounds of 12 ga on average per trip about once every 2 weeks when the seasons on.

i figure running a angle grinder in a bulding with no hearing protection for 2 years has done a lot worse than that will do.

Very seldom do I see anyone wearing eye protection here, except in steel target shooting, and maybe skeet. They tried to compel it at the July matches a couple of years back and we rebelled against it and got it dropped again.
Ear protection is normal now but I shot a lot of indoor .22 in the 1970s and never bothered - hard of hearing now.

You all are talking as if shooting with no hearing protection is manly or macho or something.

We'll excuse me if you think hearing well is an aspect of femininity.