Western lawman carries protection against sound of gunfire? (8)

I believe the answer is:

earplugs

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'protection against sound of gunfire?' is the definition.
I don't know anything about this answer so I can't tell whether this works.

'western lawman carries' is the wordplay.
'western lawman' becomes 'earp' (I've seen this in another clue).
'carries' becomes 'lugs' (lugging is a kind of carrying).
'earp'+'lugs'='EARPLUGS'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for earplugs that I've seen before include "aids to sleep?" , "noise abatement aids" , "Stoppers to keep noise out" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Times.

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