Gunfire is loud! That is probably the most off-putting aspect to a newcomer to the world of shooting. The sound is so loud that it forces some people to become a spectator far away, fearful to step up to the firing line and give it a try. Despite hearing protection, gunshots are still loud!
If you have not heard gunfire, stand directly in front of an amplified speaker at the loudest rock concert you can imagine. Gunfire is a lot louder than that, as you can see from the examples below. These ear-piercing, high dB gunshots not attenuated are absolutely damaging to human hearing.
How loud is loud?
The decibel (dB) is a logarithmic unit of measurement for sound pressure.