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.22 handguns are surprisingly damaging to hearing.
I worked in NM before joining the USAF, and the State was asking citizens to shoot as many jackrabbits as possible -- to slow the spread of bubonic plague within the extensive herds of jacks.
We young guys would drive out into the alfalfa fields at night, shut down lights & engine, wait a while -- and then switch on hand-held spotlights -- and "cut loose" with .22 handguns at the jacks that were sitting up like black-tipped white posts all over the fields.
Think about it: with 4 guys shooting thru the open windows of a car -- everyone has someone else's muzzle next to one ear. We used to joke about being the first/last one to regain hearing as we drove back into town...
Young guys think they're invincible; old ones know they're not!
The ringing in our ears tells us so... :-{
TXnMA
