But can they still cause permanent damage to your hearing?
Yes, absolutely.
I don't know why auditory exclusion is really a relevant point - the noise not being a distraction for some people is nice I guess, but that's like saying "well your arm is gonna get ripped off, but don't worry, in the heat of the moment you won't really feel it". The damage is still the same. Obviously surviving is the most important thing, but if I can think about keeping my hearing intact before a shooting, I'm going to take that step.
Call me crazy, but I enjoy music, nature sounds, talking....