Shooting .22lr without earpro isn’t great, but yeah… doing it occasionally shouldn’t be an issue.

I use 22 on invasive nutria around the property, and when I see one of the giant rats I’ll just grab the rifle and go shoot them. It’s not like firing a .308 or .223 where it’s loud enough to permanently damage your hearing from 1 shot.

But if I’m going target shooting a 22 I’m gonna put on eyes and ears. Especially for a pistol. For those who haven’t shot, pistols are generally way louder than rifles of the same caliber. Not only is it closer to the shooter, but more of the gas expansion and powder burning occurs outside the barrel.

Air guns can also be just as loud as a 22 BTW. It’s actually fairly common to have a integrated into an air rifle in the US since the legal definition of a silencer specifically involves being designed for use on a firearm (air rifles aren’t legally firearms).