Dress For Safety

What you’re wearing can make a lot of difference to your safety and comfort. Here are some recommendations for you.

Ear Protection

Most of us would prefer to keep our hearing. Unfortunately, the gunpowder explosion you get every time you pull your trigger is very loud and not very far from your ears. Because this is a recipe for going deaf, you should always wear some type of hearing protection when you shoot. This can be anything from simple ear plugs up to electronic noise canceling ear muffs. Obviously, the higher the quality of your protection, the more it will cost, but your hearing is worth it.

Eye Protection

Our eyesight is another precious commodity. Even if you are shooting a revolver, powder residue can be thrown out into the air around you and, with a semi-automatic, there is an ejected casing flying as well. None of this is anything you need in your eyes. Again, you can spend as little or as much as you like—just keep in mind that it’s your eyesight you’re protecting.

Protective glasses can also be found that will fit over your prescription glasses. When I went to try shooting for the first time, the person in the store said that my glasses were sufficient and I didn’t need anything else. Because I had my doubts, when I actually started shooting I got a pair of protective glasses—within a month, I had 2 scuffs on them that would have been on my expensive prescription lenses without them! They have more than paid for themselves.

Clothing

What you’re wearing can make a big difference. Surprised? Not as surprised as you will be the first time hot brass gets down into your bra!

Keep in mind that your semi-automatic is going to throw the empty casings, and they are hot enough to give you a painful burn. Wear a t-shirt or something with a similar neckline, or use a scarf to wrap around yourself—wearing a low neckline when you shoot is asking, even begging, for trouble. When you are dancing around trying to remove that hot piece of metal that’s inside your shirt, you probably aren't paying any attention to things like where your gun is pointed and whether your finger is still on the trigger.