How good of hearing do you think some of the gunfighters from The Old West had?
If you suddenly wake up and hear broken glass and heavy foot steps through the glass-which are you going to grab first your hearing protection or your weapon? The bottom line is that self/family preservation will be your number one priority.
The physical long term effects to your ears will become moot.
They're not moot, by any means, but they do rank much, MUCH, MUCH lower on the scale of priorities when compared to losing one's life or facing the serious injury or death of a family member.The physical long term effects to your ears will become moot.
Tinnitus is awful according to every report I've ever heard.