As regular readers will note from our past coverage of FPS Russia’s unadorned antics, TTAG is pro-ear pro. We (the republican not the Royal version) can think of no reason not to protect your hearing while shooting, save those occasions where the bad guy’s impatience is obvious. Here’s how it shouldn’t be done: “Known as ‘the Queen of guns,’ [firearms tester] Huang Xueying estimates she has shot more than 3 million bullets during her 21 years of service for the military,” usa.chinadaily.com.cn reports. “The constant exposure to such loud noises has damaged her hearing. But Huang said that only by hearing the shots can she precisely tell the quality of the gun and correct flight path of bullets.” Two words: active headphones. Clearly, China’s slave masters don’t give a flying-you-know-what about Mrs. Xueying’s health (or anyone else’s). Another horrific example . . .
To simulate firing the weapons in the dust raised by helicopters and tanks, Huang needed to shoot for hours in a sealed 10-square-meter cell in which an air blower continuously blasted dust particles as tiny as flour.
Huang, in a 20-kilogram rubber protection suit, could barely breath in the narrow room full of the smell of gunpowder. Several days after the test, there was still dust in her throat . . .
“After my son returned from a parents’ meeting, he asked why other mothers smell fragrant but I smell like gunpowder,” Huang said laughing.
Yet her happiest moment came on Oct 1, 2009, the 60th anniversary of the founding of New China, as soldiers in the parade held three new advanced automatic rifles, each tested by Huang and her colleagues.
In China, as elsewhere, the ends justify the means; individuals don’t have the right to protect themselves from harm at the hands of the state. Here’s hoping Huang doesn’t learn that freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose. Meanwhile, ear pro people. And get the lead out. [h/t Bryan]