Deaf folks and guns.

[Bawanna]

I don't know how to do the poll thing and maybe just an open discussion would be more beneficial.

Looking for thoughts mostly anyhow. As of about 2 days ago I'm completely deaf, well about 98% deaf. I could probably hear a gun shot but that's about it. Doc says I have a infection in my ears and we're hoping what little hearing I had before will return. I've had this before actually worse but never lost my hearing completely. Fingers crossed it returns.

My question is now verbal cues both offensive and defensive are no longer relevant. In a bad situation with bad things happening a good guy verbally advising that he's a good guy would have no effect on me, only visual cues IE:badges, general appearance, my spidy senses, etc.

With my tremendous profiling skills I'm not totally unable to tell but at a severe disadvantage at least until it's legal and open season on dirtbags without just cause.

So here's my question.

Do I hang up my carry guns and become a sheep or keep them and only return fire if fired upon and I visually see and clearly identify the shooter? Being a get involved kind of guy, I'm going to have to exercise extreme restraint.

Another fear to be considered and this would actually apply with or without a CCW if I'm contacted by LE or business management told to do something and I don't respond because I don't hear the request. Could be compounded if they see or suspect I'm armed.

I've been at a severe disadvantage for quite a long time but even a little bit of hearing was beneficial, this total black out truly sucks.

Honestly I just like having a gun on me and even if the overwhelming opinion is hang them up, I might not be able to do it. Feel nekkid without them.

So pile on with your thoughts. Not looking for no sympathy here, I'm a professional derelict and it's just one more disability to meet for my employer if they let me stay that is. Non full functioning brain, can't walk, can't hear and eyes and hands are going to heck rapidly. I should be in management.

[muggsy]

Keep carrying and watch for visual cues as to a person's intent. The life you save may be your own. I have an uncle who is legally blind and he still carries. BTW, you've got to start taking better care of yourself. Good moderators are hard to find.

[Longitude Zero]

Keep carrying. Visual clues become HUGE. In order to tell others you are hard of hearing cup your hands behind you ears to indicate impairment or piont to your non-gun hand ear with you non-gun hand and shake your head no. That is only for officials and not just everyday joes.

Thankfully when on of you senses diminishes or goes away the others become hyper-sensitive with practice. Carry a busniess card that has the owrds I AM DEAF printed in large red letters on both sides.

[melissa5]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed and sending kneemail for you. Don't stop carrying. If someone is pointing a gun or knife at you, you don't have to hear them to know they have bad intentions.

On the lighter side, when I saw your thread title I read it as "dead folks and guns" and immediately wondered what the liberals were up to now.

[JFootin]

Keep carrying. You are a seasoned CCW veteran and I trust that your judgment is sound. Remember, a better chance of getting struck by lightning than to ever have to shoot someone. You'll know what to do if it ever happens. Kneemail from me, too.

[johnh]

Keep carrying. Visual clues become HUGE. In order to tell others you are hard of hearing cup your hands behind you ears to indicate impairment or piont to your non-gun hand ear with you non-gun hand and shake your head no. That is only for officials and not just everyday joes.

Thankfully when on of you senses diminishes or goes away the others become hyper-sensitive with practice. Carry a busniess card that has the owrds I AM DEAF printed in large red letters on both sides.

Good tips there. I have a friend in the industry who's daughter is deaf. She does have cochlear implants to assist with speech. They do not help her hear noises around her unless they are very loud. Essentially they assist her reading lips. Having said that, I have participated in some force-on-force training with her. Given a group of civilians to select for my team in such events, she has always been high on the list. Her situational awareness is vastly better than most folks. I believe she is quite aware that she cannot hear threats, so every other sense is 100% focused on detecting them. She is also completely unaffected by the noise of battle--firing, yelling, foot steps, etc.. This keeps her very calm and focused.

So in my opinion, it is a disadvantage that can be overcome and given you know the issues it presents, you will overcome them. Do not give up your safety due to this. I hope that it will clear up for you quickly though.

[chrish]

I'd keep carrying too. As with any disability that people suffer, you'll begin to adjust and make use of your other senses (spidey or otherwise) and it'll all come back. Obviously you have to be more careful.

On this subject, not just from a disability, but if you think about an extreme situation of mayhem, it's gonna be the same. You might as well be deaf in the confusion, it'd be hard to tell the difference between a good guy and a bad guy in certain scenarios. Colorado theater for example, had some citizen been carry in spite of the stupid regs, and an off duty cop there as well. How's that gonna go down if the CCW draws first. Nasty. It makes me want to wear a big orange jacket with CCW Good Guy blazed across the back and front. I'm still 'concealed'...haha.

I had a bad sinus infection a few years back, damn docs kept telling me it was just a cold, wouldn't give me meds. I know my body and how it behaves better than they do. Anyway, it turned south pretty quick and by the time it got cleared up, it had killed my hearing on one side (temporarily thankfully). Mine came back w/ steroids and time. I hope you get cleared up soon and get back to normal.

[Barth]

I don't know how to do the poll thing and maybe just an open discussion would be more beneficial.

Looking for thoughts mostly anyhow. As of about 2 days ago I'm completely deaf, well about 98% deaf. I could probably hear a gun shot but that's about it. Doc says I have a infection in my ears and we're hoping what little hearing I had before will return. I've had this before actually worse but never lost my hearing completely. Fingers crossed it returns.

My question is now verbal cues both offensive and defensive are no longer relevant. In a bad situation with bad things happening a good guy verbally advising that he's a good guy would have no effect on me, only visual cues IE:badges, general appearance, my spidy senses, etc.

With my tremendous profiling skills I'm not totally unable to tell but at a severe disadvantage at least until it's legal and open season on dirtbags without just cause.

So here's my question.

Do I hang up my carry guns and become a sheep or keep them and only return fire if fired upon and I visually see and clearly identify the shooter? Being a get involved kind of guy, I'm going to have to exercise extreme restraint.

Another fear to be considered and this would actually apply with or without a CCW if I'm contacted by LE or business management told to do something and I don't respond because I don't hear the request. Could be compounded if they see or suspect I'm armed.

I've been at a severe disadvantage for quite a long time but even a little bit of hearing was beneficial, this total black out truly sucks.

Honestly I just like having a gun on me and even if the overwhelming opinion is hang them up, I might not be able to do it. Feel nekkid without them.

So pile on with your thoughts. Not looking for no sympathy here, I'm a professional derelict and it's just one more disability to meet for my employer if they let me stay that is. Non full functioning brain, can't walk, can't hear and eyes and hands are going to heck rapidly. I should be in management.

You still seem to be able to form complete meaningful thoughts.
So management is out.

I can't imagine being unarmed even as age takes it's toll.
The fact that you are contemplating the potential issues and situations
speaks volumes as to your competence with continued carry.

I would look more to appropriate firearms that will work well for you
with whatever shortcomings you have to weather.

For instance,
when my vision starts to get poor
these 410 pistols will become very attractive to me.

Hearing loss is a bad thing for sure.
But as long as you can think clearly.
And see reasonably well.
I can't imagine any good reason to disarm.

My hearing, if there is background noise like in a restaurant, is really bad.
Always has been.
Really loud music, no muffler cars and bikes and shooting without hearing protection.
I've gotten really good at reading lips over the years.
It's amazing how well that can work.

[MikeyKahr]

I'm with everyone else, keep carrying. I'd rather have you carrying than over half of the other students in my concealed carry class. Okay make that two-thirds. Nine-tenths. As you said, I would suggest extra precautions in deploying considering the situation, but you already know that.

All that said, if you really want to hang them up Jfootin and I could surely find good homes for whatever you are willing to give up. No charge for our time and burden. What are good friends for?

On another note I pray you regain what you had before the infections. Would a visit to a high-priced over-educated ear specialist be of any help? I might just know such a person but they are over 2000 miles away from you and out of your network.

[MikeyKahr]

I would look more to appropriate firearms that will work well for you
with whatever shortcomings you have to weather.

Phew, thank goodness, I thought Barth was going to suggest an HK for a second.

[Bawanna]

I feel some better since everyone seems to encourage what I wanted to do already. Means I must really be right or maybe wrong.

I guess I'm already adapting and have been as I note in my cubicle I have a series of mirrors, some even banking off one another where I can see up and down the aisle outside my cubicle to see who or what is passing by without moving my head even. Also when working on guns, my back is to the opening and there are mirrors there as well so I guess I'm subconciously planning anyhow.

Fortunately I still have no problem seeing the sights on my 1911, PM45 or any of the others (before the boat accident that is). I'm still good at distance, only need spectacles to read up close.
When the day comes I can't see enough to shoot I'll swap ends with the gun and swallow it with pride.

I'm glad the general consensus is not to hang em up, that would be hard.

[Alfonse]

I'm glad you didn't ask us to all start typing in caps so you could hear us better. I hope the infection clears up quickly and mends your hearing in the process.

[TheTman]

I'm praying for recovery of your hearing. I would for sure keep carrying, and pay closer attention to visual cues.
Most of us haven't had to draw our weapon in a "situation", and hopefully the chances of that happening won't go up because of not being able to hear clearly.

[getsome]

Hope you get to feeling better there Bawannadon and I hope when that infection clears up your hearing will return to what it was before...In the mean time I will be talking to the BIG GUY about it in my prayers and asking for healing and that he helps you with it....

I think you should only stop CCW when you can no longer lift your gun or can no longer handle it safely and hearing shouldn't be an issue...Remember even though a King Cobra is totally deaf he doesn't leave home to face the world without his fangs....

[Rio Vista Slim]

Bawanna,

My hearing has deteriorated over the last several years. While I've always worn hearing protection when shooting, my railroad employers were a little slow in realizing how many of use were becoming deaf due to huge machinery and locomotives.

Very recently I got hearing aids for both ears. Those things are very expensive, but as I've discovered over the last two weeks, I can hear many things now that I'd been missing for years.

Like others have said, you are rational, and like me, have been carrying for a long time. Were I totally deaf, I'd still carry. While the odds of needing a gun are quite slim, I never want to be in a position of needing one and not having it on my person.

Good luck, Bawanna. I hope you're able to retain some of your hearing. If you should discover that hearing aids would help, please consider getting them.