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Columbine High School Massacre Discussion Forum
A place to discuss the Columbine High School Massacre along with other school shootings and crimes. Anyone interested in researching, learning, discussing and debating with us, please come join our community!
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Subject: Shooters and earplugs? Tue Mar 06, 2018 4:49 pm
Just something I thought about the other day, did any shooters (both mass shooters/school shooters) use earplugs? I did a quick google search and immediately found that Adam Lanza used earplugs, some articles even said it was to drown out screams but i doubt that.
So did any other shooters use earplugs for hearing protection? The thing I read about in the articles about Sandy Hook mentioned it would be weird since the shooter was going to kill himself so he wouldn´t have to suffer any long term hearing damage. I just thought that mass shooters in particular school shooters who shoot a firearm usually a handgun in a classroom e.g. a confined space. So wouldn´t it be extremely loud and disorienting for the shooter to shoot dozens of rounds without any hearing protection?
I know it´s not the most exciting topic but it was just something I thought about and maybe you guys have too
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Subject: Re: Shooters and earplugs? Tue Mar 06, 2018 4:54 pm
Thomas Hamilton (Dunblane, Scotland), used earmuffs.
sscc
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Subject: Re: Shooters and earplugs? Tue Mar 06, 2018 5:01 pm
I have read that Richard Farley did but he didn't commit suicide. I have read that Breivik did too (although this may have been a reference to earbud headphones rather than soundproof earplugs) and he didn't commit suicide either. I'm not sure if I can think of any others but I feel like there was at least one more that I came across.
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Subject: Re: Shooters and earplugs? Tue Mar 06, 2018 5:09 pm
sscc wrote:
I have read that Richard Farley did but he didn't commit suicide. I have read that Breivik did too (although this may have been a reference to earbud headphones rather than soundproof earplugs) and he didn't commit suicide either. I'm not sure if I can think of any others but I feel like there was at least one more that I came across.
One would think they wouldn't have wanted anything to possibly keep them from hearing if someone was coming up from behind in an effort to disarm them.
sscc
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Subject: Re: Shooters and earplugs? Tue Mar 06, 2018 5:23 pm
ShadowedGoddess wrote:
One would think they wouldn't have wanted anything to possibly keep them from hearing if someone was coming up from behind in an effort to disarm them.
I agree with you and I think it's why most choose not to do it. James Holmes also supposedly listened to music while in the theater but none of these people were stopped so maybe it's not much of a risk if they stay alert to their surroundings.
Adam Lanza was very intent on not getting caught so I also wonder about it because I assume that he would have wanted to be able to hear police sirens as well.
cultofdreams
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Subject: Re: Shooters and earplugs? Tue Mar 06, 2018 6:47 pm
Lubomir Harman also used earmuffs.
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Subject: Re: Shooters and earplugs? Tue Mar 06, 2018 9:30 pm
adam hated loud sounds so the gunshots would make him sperg out
also distracting to hear loud gunshots while shooting i assume
Tommy QTR
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Subject: Re: Shooters and earplugs? Wed Mar 07, 2018 3:30 am
Michael Carneal wore earplugs.
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pess1mist
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Subject: Re: Shooters and earplugs? Wed Mar 07, 2018 3:40 am
I honestly think that Randy Stair wore earplugs. I don't really have any evidence for this other than the fact that he wore them in his shooting videos, but I imagine him being the type of person to do it just because I feel like he's the type of person to be super sensitive to loud noises.
Also on the topic of earplugs and mass shooters, I feel like earplugs can work as a sort of way to make things feel less "real" to them in a sense. If you've ever worn earplugs or headphones you know how it can kind of shut you off from the world around you, and can kind of trap you in your own head almost. That combined with the adrenaline of killing and all of the gore from shooting people probably helped distance a lot of the shooters who used them from what they were doing, so that way when it came time to kill themselves it wouldn't be as hard of a decision and they wouldn't waste any time to potentially get caught by police.
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TheGoodGuy
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Subject: Re: Shooters and earplugs? Wed Mar 07, 2018 6:38 am
Wow a lot of great responses and like some of you already mentioned I also thought about the fact that the ones that heard music like Breivik and Holmes, that would be a bit risky since they couldn´t here anyone sneaking up on them.
Anyone that know if Seung Hui Cho used earplugs? Because he was in some small classrooms and firing a 9mm in such a confined space must have been SO loud and disorienting for him
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Subject: Re: Shooters and earplugs? Wed Mar 07, 2018 11:48 am
TheGoodGuy wrote:
Wow a lot of great responses and like some of you already mentioned I also thought about the fact that the ones that heard music like Breivik and Holmes, that would be a bit risky since they couldn´t here anyone sneaking up on them.
Has anyone really "sneaked up on" a mass shooter though? Most of the time when they get restrained it's by a couple of people who rush them as they're reloading.
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Subject: Re: Shooters and earplugs? Wed Mar 07, 2018 11:52 am
QuestionMark wrote:
TheGoodGuy wrote:
Wow a lot of great responses and like some of you already mentioned I also thought about the fact that the ones that heard music like Breivik and Holmes, that would be a bit risky since they couldn´t here anyone sneaking up on them.
Has anyone really "sneaked up on" a mass shooter though? Most of the time when they get restrained it's by a couple of people who rush them as they're reloading.
Well IF the shooter was indeed wearing earplugs, that would possibly make trying to sneak up on them easier to accomplish.
sscc
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Subject: Re: Shooters and earplugs? Thu May 16, 2019 12:39 am
Patrick Sherrill probably used earplugs.
Mark Ames wrote:
Sherrill had worked at the Edmond, Oklahoma, Post Office branch for eighteen months before he “went postal.” He pulled into the parking lot in his blue automobile right next to fellow postal employee Michael Bigler. It was around 6:30 am; the muggy Great Plains furnace was warming up for another wretched day. Bigler, an evangelical Christian, noticed a large bulge in Sherrill’s postal satchel, which lay on the passenger’s seat, even though it should have been empty. Inside were two .45 semiautomatic pistols, up to two hundred rounds of ammunition, protective sunglasses designed to keep gunpowder and shrapnel from getting into his eyes, and ear plugs. He had checked out this gear from the Oklahoma Air National Guard base a couple of weeks earlier in preparation for a national marksman contest.
sscc
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Subject: Re: Shooters and earplugs? Thu May 16, 2019 12:52 am
sscc wrote:
ShadowedGoddess wrote:
One would think they wouldn't have wanted anything to possibly keep them from hearing if someone was coming up from behind in an effort to disarm them.
I agree with you and I think it's why most choose not to do it. James Holmes also supposedly listened to music while in the theater but none of these people were stopped so maybe it's not much of a risk if they stay alert to their surroundings.
Adam Lanza was very intent on not getting caught so I also wonder about it because I assume that he would have wanted to be able to hear police sirens as well.
I was thinking about why shooters would use ear plugs if it might allow people to sneak up on them more easily. If you've ever used ear plugs, you'd probably agree that they usually do not block out all sound. It's more like they dull sounds than block them out. On the other hand, shooting a gun dozens of times in an enclosed area might cause temporary hearing loss. There's a good chance that you'd miss someone sneaking up on you in any situation if you were relying solely on hearing, but it would probably be impossible to notice if your ears were ringing or if you had temporary hearing loss caused by exposure to multiple gunshots without ear protection. If you were concerned about being able to hear police sirens, I think you'd definitely have a better chance of hearing them if you were wearing ear plugs while shooting than if you were not.
Last edited by sscc on Thu May 16, 2019 2:11 am; edited 1 time in total
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Subject: Re: Shooters and earplugs? Thu May 16, 2019 1:36 am
sscc wrote:
Patrick Sherrill probably used earplugs.
Mark Ames wrote:
Sherrill had worked at the Edmond, Oklahoma, Post Office branch for eighteen months before he “went postal.” He pulled into the parking lot in his blue automobile right next to fellow postal employee Michael Bigler. It was around 6:30 am; the muggy Great Plains furnace was warming up for another wretched day. Bigler, an evangelical Christian, noticed a large bulge in Sherrill’s postal satchel, which lay on the passenger’s seat, even though it should have been empty. Inside were two .45 semiautomatic pistols, up to two hundred rounds of ammunition, protective sunglasses designed to keep gunpowder and shrapnel from getting into his eyes, and ear plugs. He had checked out this gear from the Oklahoma Air National Guard base a couple of weeks earlier in preparation for a national marksman contest.
That's an interesting find, thank you!
a broken human Banned
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Subject: Re: Shooters and earplugs? Thu May 16, 2019 2:23 am
I can't recall where I heard this but some mass shooter wore headphones. Anders Breivik maybe?? At the time i looked up one of the songs. Similar anyway
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Subject: Re: Shooters and earplugs? Thu May 16, 2019 2:43 am
Robert Steinhauser wore earplugs.
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Russianman
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Subject: Re: Shooters and earplugs? Thu May 16, 2019 9:12 am
And Vladislav Roslyakov also used.
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UncontinuedProcess
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Subject: Re: Shooters and earplugs? Thu May 16, 2019 10:28 am
James Holmes wore headphones playing techno music during his shooting.
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Subject: Re: Shooters and earplugs? Fri May 17, 2019 6:38 am