...it's legal in many states to hunt with suppressors.
Also, the issue with relying on earmuffs/plugs is that the human skull is an excellent sound conductor. When the 165dB blast from a .45 hits the side of your head, a significant amount of energy is transmitted to the inner ear independent of the ear canal and the earplugs, through the solid bone. The best solution is one that reduces the blast at the source, ie a suppressor. Also, with rifle cans, the blast with a suppressor still reaches into the 130+dB range, which will cause hearing damage over time. With my rifle cans I use both earmuffs and the suppressor for maximum safety.
