Should women shoot while pregnant?

Texican · Post by **Texican** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 10:41 am

I just came across this article link from http://www.handgunlaw.us and it's the first article I've seen to address a question that I've had for a while.

http://gemini.tntech.edu/~cpardue/pregnant.html

I was pretty active in Cowboy Action Shooting a while back. As glad as I am for the family friendly shooting venue, it bothered me on those rare occasions to see women shooting when pregnant.

[I've also seen family park their stroller with a newborn 30 ft behind the shooting line during a match and trust the blankets to protect the baby's ears; I could tell that others were uncomfortable with it but they didn't speak up either].

I'm not a busybody - Go ahead and smoke, drink, whatever - but I think that folks should at least be informed of possible consequences. My own son has a slight hearing loss in one ear from repeated ear infections; so I'm militant about hearing protection. I'm glad that his loss wasn't compounded by letting my wife attend matches while she was pregnant with him.

Sorry if it sounds 'preachy',

Post by **Hobie** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 11:22 am

You know, I never took my kids near a range without hearing protection. I didn't expose my pregnant wife to such things either. BUT, I would point out that if sound is damaging to the child in the womb, ALL such noise should be eliminated including loud music, loud equipment, etc.

Oh, and I do speak up when I see such. In fact, I carry extra ear plugs for folks I see at the range without any hearing protection.

Texican · Post by **Texican** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 11:41 am

Yep. I've grown up a bit since; I've always carried spares (foam plugs) and I'm no longer shy about speaking out on such matters. We want to keep shooters happy and active - we need all the friends we can get.

Don McDowell · Post by **Don McDowell** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 1:22 pm

The concern over the newborn so close to the firing line is understandable.
The bit about pregnant women not shooting , is a bit baffling to me. Not to mention seeming abit on the busybody side of things.

The hot hippyhoppin narcotic stuff music some folks seem inclined to listen to at a volume that assure folks within a 1000 yds can hear it also, would seem to be more of a concern.

JReed · Post by **JReed** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 1:51 pm

Most deffinitly not. Sound travels through fluids very well. Why start your kid off in life with hearing damage.

Mich Hunter · Post by **Mich Hunter** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 3:20 pm

Just from Uncle Sam's stadards, women who are pregnant or might be do not shoot

Borregos · Post by **Borregos** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 5:13 pm

My younger daughter shoots a lot with me. When she became pregnant with her first child she sought advice from a number of doctors, the result being she did not shoot indoors while pregnant (possible fume inhalation) but continued to shoot outdoors (handgun silhouette). She was advised that there would not possibly be any hearing damage to the baby, he is now 2 1/2 and comes to the range wearing both eye and ear protection, there is nothing wrong with his hearing, he can hear the cookie jar being opened two floors away!! She is now nearly eight months pregnant with her second and is still shooting.

Post by **Ysabel Kid** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 5:16 pm

Why press one's luck? Not too much to stay away from the range for 9 months (10 really) - and she probably won't feel like it - unless she wants to shoot you for putting her into that state - the last few months anyway. Between the sound and the lead, I'd play it safe.

Pete44ru · Post by **Pete44ru** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 7:14 pm

Sounds like "opportunity", knocking !

Is the world (and maternity stores) ready for a hearing-protector coat ?

cjm135 · Post by **cjm135** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 7:41 pm

I would be more concerned with lead exposer than the noise factor. Many women work in factories, exposed to traffic noise, constuction noise, and sporting events with high noise levels.

Has there been any study of the babies born during the WWII in Europe, England or Japan, big boom there. I don't think sound with in reason (daily activity) is bad.

Mike S. · Post by **Mike S.** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 9:07 pm

My wife and I were just talking the other day about the time she came to the sporting clays range with me while she was pregnant with our first kid. She was about seven months along. With almost every shot, the baby kicked. We were shooting league, so my four teammates were there too. 75 rounds/guy x 5 guys = a lot of kicks.

She asked her OB doc about it & he said no problem - figured walking around the course was good exercise too.

Mike

AJMD429 · Post by **AJMD429** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 9:13 pm

Awhile back I tried to dig up information on the topic due to an FBI agent patient of mine, and from what we could find, we advised 'low-noise' guns, outdoors, and without other shooters present. Some of the information was just based on articles by women physicians who had access to ultrasound and looked for jerking of the fetus when someone next to them shot, which really only indicates the kid 'heard' the shot, and was probably startled, but that's about all one can conclude.

Of course, I suggested she use suppressed firearms, since I figured she'd have the option as a genuine Guvment Gunslinger, but the red tape made that impossible. Go figure.

Griff · Post by **Griff** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 9:16 pm

I certainly have no direct knowledge of shooting while pregnant,

but as several have said their doctors didn't have a problem, then I don't see it myself. And I do carry extra foam protectors, and when I ran our club I made absolutely certain that anyone at the range had hearing protection and eye protection. And spectators were kept at least 50 ft behind the firing line. And, some the loads some fellars in SASS use, you probably don't NEED the hearing protection, even indoors; but... better safe than liable.

cutter · Post by **cutter** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 9:56 pm

http://www.hear-it.org/page.dsp?page=2161

Andrew · Post by **Andrew** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 10:53 pm

When m Wife was preganent she came to the range once, and like Mike S. said the baby kicked alot when the gun went "bang". My little one also kicked alot when the impact wrench was going at my Wifes work.

jazman · Post by **jazman** » Tue Dec 18, 2007 12:51 am

...as long as they are not shooting at me I am OK with it...

Last Spike · Post by **Last Spike** » Tue Dec 18, 2007 1:58 am

I'm of the opinion that any pregnant woman should have the full information presented to her and that her decision to go shooting or not should be made on the basis of that information as well as input from her spouse. After all, it is she and he that will be most affected by the decision, aside from the unborn child.

JollyWhiteGiant · Post by **JollyWhiteGiant** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 5:23 pm

My wife was at the range sighting in her deer gun 2 days before she went into the hospital to have our first son. Other than very selective hearing he can hear just fine.

stretch · Post by **stretch** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 6:55 pm

Be careful, fellas. At the end of both of my wife's pregnancies
she was so miserable that she might have considered shooting
the guy who helped put her in that state!

Our second son would kick to music that he heard.

dgr416 · Post by **dgr416** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 6:58 pm

The unborn should not hear oprah,hiliary clinton,obomah and any other liberals.Let the unborn listen to good country music ,waterfalls and colt sixshoot clicks.My nephew was always looking up at deer as a baby and pointing.His first word was deer.You should always talk to your unborn kids it helps.

BAGTIC · Post by **BAGTIC** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 3:14 pm

If she had shot first she might not have gotten pregnant.

Bramble · Post by **Bramble** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 7:34 pm

I'm with stretch.
Just finished a job for a woman in her third trimester. The thought of the miserible B**** with a gun scares the hell out of me.

Bogie35 · Post by **Bogie35** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 11:52 pm

Pregnant women are allowed to shoot ONLY when the unborn's father doesn't pay child support.

bogie

Should women shoot while pregnant?

Should women shoot while pregnant?

Agreed.

Others things unborn sould not hear!!