"It's interesting that the people who don't yet realize that they are ruining their hearing say "I wear no protection 'cuz I need to hear" and the ones who have already lost hearing ability and now hear a constant high pitched buzz wouldn't shoot anymore without protection."
That's right. Don't want to lose any more. My father started taking me on wood cutting trips from about the age of 8 and I was exposed to loud chainsaws for years and years with no ear protection. Then I worked on dozer boats too, with no noise protection. Then I played in rock bands, plus I've been shooting from about the age of 12 with no plugs at first. It all adds up and I wish I'd cared about hearing protection earlier in life.