Originally Posted by OKFC05

One competitor in a USPSA match last sunday was shooting an open gun in .38 Super loaded to major power, with a compensator on the barrel. Now that is LOUD!!

But any handgun, even a .22LR is way above the level of causing permanent, irreversible hearing loss. Hearing loss is cumulative, so a few shots in self defense is minor, and it's the hundreds of shots in practice that really make you deaf.