Timothy Wheeler, a retired ear, nose and throat surgeon and the past director of Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership, contacted us. He wanted to tell us about a recent medical association’s support for suppressors. As a doctor who is an authority on the topic, he also had a lot to tell us about how inner-ear damage actually occurs.
First, he informed us that the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS), a national specialty society of ear, nose and throat surgeons, adopted an official position statement endorsing firearm suppressors (silencers) for hearing preservation.
The position statement was authored by seven subject matter experts, all of whom are board-certified ear, nose and throat surgeons. Four of these people are also fellowship-trained neurotologists, subspecialists who operate only on the ear and the base of the skull. The position statement on suppressors was vetted by two AAO-HNS committees before being submitted to the Academy’s board of directors, who gave final approval to the position statement last November.
He explained that AAO-HNS position statement grew out of a 2017 publication of Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership that described the pathology of noise-induced hearing loss resulting from gunshot impulse noise exposure. It describes the damage done to the delicate so-called hair cells of the inner ear hearing organ (cochlea). This white paper called for making firearm suppressors readily available to the public.
In the seven years since that report, suppressors have only grown in popularity among American shooters. This has occurred despite the fact that some in the federal government and some state government officials have discouraged or banned their use.
Dr. Wheeler then jumped into the topic of how sound damages hearing and how we can best protect ourselves from permanent damage.
