If Obama get's a second term, you can bet that this will be pushed through-
Zeroing In on Lead in Hunters’ Bullets -
Citing risks to birds and to human health, roughly 100 environmental groups formally asked the federal Environmental Protection Agency this week to ban or at least impose limits on lead in the manufacturing of bullets and shotgun pellets for hunting or recreation.The use of such ammo by hunters puts about 3,000 pounds of lead into the environment annually and causes the death of 20 million birds each year from lead poisoning, said Jeff Miller, a conservation advocate at one of the groups, the Center for Biological Diversity. Consumption of meat from animals that are shot with lead bullets also contributes unacceptable levels of the metal into people’s diets, Mr. Miller said in a phone interview.
Well this happened last time: "Responding to a grassroots outcry from gun owners, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on Aug. 27 that it had denied a petition by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) and other radical groups that had sought a nationwide ban on the use of lead in ammunition. In a fundraising e-mail it sent out before filing the petition, CBD promised "a once-in-a-lifetime campaign … to ban all lead bullets everywhere in the United States." (We can only hope they were right about it being once in a lifetime.)
The petition, filed in early August, falsely claimed that lead ammunition poses otherwise unavoidable hazards to humans and wildlife, and should therefore be banned under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). In particular, the petition claimed that lead projectiles endanger birds of prey—even though populations of some species, such as the bald eagle, are at an all-time high.
Unfortunately for the petitioners` hopes, far-sighted lawmakers anticipated this move more than 30 years ago. Just months before the creation of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) in 1975, pro-gun Sen. James A. McClure, r-Idaho, won language in the TSCA that blocks EPA from regulating items taxed under the Pittman-Robertson Act that funds wildlife restoration.
McClure`s provision exempted not only firearms, but "shells … and cart-ridges." When NRA-ILA was formed, it helped shepherd that language into law."...
Yes the last time this came up, the EPA said that the BATFE controls ammunition and therefore the EPA had no say in the petition. I wonder what was changed in the petition the make the environmentlist think that the EPA will act on it now?
Yes the last time this came up, the EPA said that the BATFE controls ammunition and therefore the EPA had no say in the petition. I wonder what was changed in the petition the make the environmentlist think that the EPA will act on it now?
Whilst I am personally against hunting with lead bullets for many personal reasons, and I believe that people should lean towards steel shot and all copper bullets when they hunt in general... I do not think that getting rid of lead in the production of all bullets is practical by any means. It would be nice to eliminate pollution from our sport, over time, but we cannot eliminate all current supply just like that.
There are plenty of substitutes for lead to increase the mass to volume ratio of the rounds we're shooting. Just a few examples, Tungsten, Gold, and Platinum are all more dense than Lead. Molybdenum and Silver are slightly less dense than lead. Copper is about 80% the density of lead.
If you can't craft a bullet with the densities you need from non lead, with the mechanical properties designed to maximize potential damage to a target, then you're not thinking hard enough.
This shouldn't be a legislative thing anyway, this should be something we strive for as a community. By all means, stock up on lead because its cheap and you don't know when you're going to need it en mass to defend yourself, and forget then environment if/when **** hits the fan... But at least start moving in the direction that is going to help the environment in the long run. The damned government doesn't need to tell us this. We have to just make it part of our culture.
Shooters, hunters, etc. should have respect for the environment we live off of. If lead pollution damages that, which I believe it does, we should make some attempt at limiting that damage if we can.
So are they also going to outlaw lead fishing weights? or Tire balancing weights? How many of them are lost in our lakes and rivers or along the side of the road?
The once all powerful EPA just got its balls snipped by the Supreme Court in a ruling handed down last week...
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