EPA Considering Ban on Traditional Ammunition

[anonymous too]

EPA Considering Ban on Traditional Ammunition: ACT NOW!!

 

All Gun Owners, Hunters and Shooters:

 

With the fall hunting season fast approaching, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under Lisa Jackson, who was responsible for banning bear hunting in New Jersey, is now considering a petition by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) - a leading anti-hunting organization - to ban all traditional ammunition under the Toxic Substance Control Act of 1976, a law in which Congress expressly exempted ammunition. If the EPA approves the petition, the result will be a total ban on all ammunition containing lead-core components, including hunting and target-shooting rounds. The EPA must decide to accept or reject this petition by November 1, 2010, the day before the midterm elections.

 

Today, the EPA has opened to public comment the CBD petition. The comment period ends on October 31, 2010.

 

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) -- the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry -- urges you to submit comment to the EPA opposing any ban on traditional ammunition. Remember, your right to choose the ammunition you hunt and shoot with is at stake.

 

The EPA has published the petition and relevant supplemental information as Docket ID: EPA-HQ-OPPT-2010-0681. If you would like to read the original petition and see the contents of this docket folder, please click here. In order to go directly to the 'submit a comment' page for this docket number, please click here.

 

NSSF urges you to stress the following in your opposition:

 

There is no scientific evidence that the use of traditional ammunition is having an adverse impact on wildlife populations.

 

Wildlife management is the proper jurisdiction of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services and the 50 state wildlife agencies.

 

A 2008 study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on blood lead levels of North Dakota hunters confirmed that consuming game harvested with traditional ammunition does not pose a human health risk.

 

A ban on traditional ammunition would have a negative impact on wildlife conservation. The federal excise tax that manufacturers pay on the sale of the ammunition (11 percent) is a primary source of wildlife conservation funding. The bald eagle's recovery, considered to be a great conservation success story, was made possible and funded by hunters using traditional ammunition - the very ammunition organizations like the CBD are now demonizing.

 

Recent statistics from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service show that from 1981 to 2006 the number of breeding pairs of bald eagles in the United States increased 724 percent. And much like the bald eagle, raptor populations throughout the United States are soaring.

 

Steps to take:

 

1. Submit comment online to the EPA: http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#submitComment?R=0900006480b3974b

 

2. Contact Lisa Jackson directly to voice your opposition to the ban:

 

Lisa P. Jackson

Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW

Washington, DC 20460

(202) 564-4700

Fax: (202) 501-1450

Email: jackson.lisa@epa.gov

 

3. Contact your congressman and senators and urge them to stop the EPA from banning ammunition. To view a sample letter: http://nssf.org/GovRel/news/traditional-ammo-sample-letter.cfm

[Buzzard]

(

On December 15, 2008, President-elect Barack Obama officially designated (Lisa) Jackson as the nominee for Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. She was confirmed by voice vote in the U.S. Senate on January 22, 2009.

 

source: Wikipedia

 

Well, all you McCain haters.....aren't you glad you sat out the 08 election??

[GWBH]

I'd send a letter to Durbin and Burris - but what for?

I know who they are, how they vote and so do all of you...

Shimkus will oppose this, but it will take private citizens writing the EPA to stop it cold...

 

Guess I'll launch MS Word and get to work -

(I promise to be good!!)

[Lou]

I'd send a letter to Durbin and Burris - but what for?

I know who they are, how they vote and so do all of you...

Shimkus will oppose this, but it will take private citizens writing the EPA to stop it cold...

 

Guess I'll launch MS Word and get to work -

(I promise to be good!!)

 

No need to be good, just write the truth,

[TTIN]

There is no scientific evidence that the use of traditional ammunition is having an adverse impact on wildlife populations.

 

 

Well it sure as heck hasn't affected the deer population; atleast not here in S.Il.

People are running into and over these varmints on a regular basis.

[Buzzard]

There is no scientific evidence that the use of traditional ammunition is having an adverse impact on wildlife populations.

 

 

Well it sure as heck hasn't affected the deer population; atleast not here in S.Il.

People are running into and over these varmints on a regular basis.

 

EPA Bureaucrats and their Greenpeace underground army don't seem them as "deer" - they are all Bambis. DAMN those evil hunters!

[moparcardave]

There is no scientific evidence that the use of traditional ammunition is having an adverse impact on wildlife populations.

 

 

Well it sure as heck hasn't affected the deer population; atleast not here in S.Il.

People are running into and over these varmints on a regular basis.

 

EPA Bureaucrats and their Greenpeace underground army don't seem them as "deer" - they are all Bambis. DAMN those evil hunters!

 

This has nothing to do with the enviorment, if you remember Obama went around Congress and give the EPA authority to do as "he pleases." The real reason is if they outlaw lead bullets, then what remembers? Copper? Steel? well think about how many bullets are already banned because they are armor piercing. It's an attack on guns once more and what will be next gunpowder? How many of us here my age remember lead paint? We as kids ate the stuff, I worked with lead, soldering, brazeing and yes stuffing asbestos and then other carciogents into heat treating furnaces for 25 years. Oh not to say a few folks are effected but the amount of lead will not hurt anyone. I was checked for it and none exhisted in my system and this is using rolls of it daily...

[Federal Farmer]

It is my understanding that the lead in bullets is largely inert. The real danger is lead oxide, such as is used in lead paint. I imagine breathing lead dust would not be so good, but a chunk of lead isn't going to leech into the soil and ruin the environment. Look how many folks like long lives with lead bullets permanently embedded in their bodies.

 

Think of it as returning previously mined lead back into the earth! Really, it is kinda like recycling.

[Ol'Coach]

I'd send a letter to Durbin and Burris - but what for?

 

If Durbin means what he says in this post, he would have reason to speak against this.

 

He might get caught in a bind here!

 

I guess he could state, "We want Olin to stay in IL and manufacture Winchester ammo, but only if it contains no lead bullets."

[Steve R]

I work for the water dept. in chicago.

Most of the homes in chicago have a lead

water supply.

We are all still alive, I think!

[moparcardave]

My ex has a 7 ft tall 325lb cousin that works in the lead mines in Missouri. Looks like Paul Bunyan, funny that all this lead causes problems when it comes from the ground to begin with. I would braze up 6" copper pipes with this stuff all day, sanding and buffing it out afterwords. I had some health problems and thought humm lead poisoning. A test was done and after many years of this they found no trace in my system.

 

Watch those wheel weights on your car or truck looks like we will have to have unbalanced tires along with plastic bullets.

[mikew]

I work for the water dept. in chicago.

Most of the homes in chicago have a lead

water supply.

We are all still alive, I think!

There is very little lead introduced into the water due to a protective layer of lead-oxide[!] that forms with use.

 

Still, they don't use the lead in new construction.

[lockman]

Don Wade was discussing this on WLS this morning and stated that the law governing EPA's authority specifically exempts lead ammunition from the EPA's authority to regulate. If true I am sure this provision will be addressed.

[GWBH]

Sent this to the link from someone:

 

Dear Ms. Jackson,

 

I'm extremely angered by all the thinly veiled attacks by environmentalists and animal lovers to prohibit hunters from enjoying a long-standing tradition in this nation. As I understand it, there is no real evidence from any source to prove that lead contained in traditional ammunition is negatively affecting game populations or the hunters who harvest and consume the game. After all, lead is mined and comes from the earth and is not some man-made material, foreign from the environment.

 

Therefore, I urge you to reject the petition by the CBD.

 

Keep in mind that it is because of legislation such as the Pittman/Robertson Act that wildlife continues to flourish. The funds from this act, of which the sale of ammunition is a large part, benefits all wildlife for all Americans to enjoy.

Please don't allow yourself to become yet another person in government who believes that our citizenry must be protected from itself. There are already too many in Congress, the White House and Judiciary making decisions out of ignorance of the facts, basing those decisions on emotion. These individuals are burdening the country with more laws everyday. At the present rate it won’t be much longer until we cannot call ourselves a free nation.

[BigJim]

Watch those wheel weights on your car or truck looks like we will have to have unbalanced tires

Nah, we'll all just switch to Dyna Beads.

[gravyboy77]

http://weeklystandar...ban-led-bullets

Environmental Protection Agency Reviewing Petition to Ban Lead Bullets

Will the EPA infuriate gun owners--and seal the fate of Democrats on November 2?

 

BY John McCormack

August 27, 2010 9:57 AM

 

Will Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson make a back door move to ban lead bullets the day before the November 2 elections?

 

Several environmentalist groups led by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) are petitioning the EPA to ban lead bullets and shot (as well as lead sinkers for fishing) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Although EPA is barred by statute from controlling ammunition, CBD is seeking to work farther back along the manufacturing chain and have EPA ban the use of lead in bullets and shot because non-lead alternatives are available. But here's the catch: the alternatives to lead bullets are more expensive. A ban on the sale of lead ammunition would force hunters and sport shooters to buy non-lead ammunition that is often double the cost of traditional lead ammunition. A box of deer hunting bullets in a popular caliber could be upwards of $55.

 

Although the EPA could have dismissed the request due to a lack of jurisdiction, it is obliging CBD. The EPA has asked for public comment on banning lead in ammunition, and an EPA notice was published seeking public comment that closes on October 31. Jackson would then make a decision to accept or reject the petition on November 1. You might say that even considering enacting what is effectively a new tax on hunters and gun owners--seemingly the only non-liberal group the Obama administration hasn't yet intentionally provoked--is less-than-perfect timing for the already beleagured Democrats as the midterm elections approach.

 

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), a trade association for the firearm and ammunition industry, has hit back against the petition sending Jackson a letter documenting why EPA has no jurisdiction and outlining the damage that banning lead ammunition would do to U.S. industry and jobs, conservation, and law enforcement. The NSSF estimates that more than 90 percent of hunters and sport shooters use traditional lead ammunition. If all hunters were forced to buy non-lead bullets that are made out of metals like tungsten, bismuth, and copper alloys, demand could easily begin to outstrip the supply and prices would go even higher.

 

Bill Clinton famously blamed the NRA and gun owners for sweeping Democrats from control of the House in 1994 after he pushed them to pass the Assault Weapons Ban. For Democrats, especially those in rural and conservative districts that are already facing voters' wrath, gun control could once again be an issue that helps defeat them and swings control of the House and perhaps even the Senate to the GOP.

[Drylok]

It is my understanding that the lead in bullets is largely inert. The real danger is lead oxide, such as is used in lead paint. I imagine breathing lead dust would not be so good, but a chunk of lead isn't going to leech into the soil and ruin the environment. Look how many folks like long lives with lead bullets permanently embedded in their bodies.

 

Think of it as returning previously mined lead back into the earth! Really, it is kinda like recycling.

 

 

It's wicked brutle! We wear dusk masks when we're melting lead for our molds to make our decoy wieghts. We do it in our warehouse with one door open and put two fans behind us blowing to the open door.

 

I just now saw this thread and hadn't heard about this but one of my hunting buddies called me all up in arms asking about it, so what's the deal is this simply a matter of Heller and McDonald came down and they're PO'ed so now they're just throwing a bunch of crap on the wall and hope something sticks or is it a real threat?

[bhannah]

EPA just put out a release that says it doesn’t have jurisdiction to regulate lead in ammunition and shells.

‎08/27/2010: EPA Denies Petition Calling for Lead Ammunition Ban

yosemite.epa.gov

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today denied a petition calling for a ban on the production and distribution of lead hunting ammunition. EPA sent a letter to the petitioners explaining the rejection – that letter can be found here: http://www.epa.gov/oppt/chemtest/pubs/sect21.h...

[Tvandermyde]

they now realize they stepped in it.

[Ashes]

they now realize they stepped in it.

 

I sure hope so. But of course it could also be a probe.

[lockman]

EPA just put out a release that says it doesn't have jurisdiction to regulate lead in ammunition and shells.

‎08/27/2010: EPA Denies Petition Calling for Lead Ammunition Ban

yosemite.epa.gov

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today denied a petition calling for a ban on the production and distribution of lead hunting ammunition. EPA sent a letter to the petitioners explaining the rejection – that letter can be found here: http://www.epa.gov/o...ubs/sect21.h...

 

The link fails to produce the document

[GWBH]

Ok - I'm hacked off - sent another comment:

 

Dear Ms Jackson,

I was recently informed of the petition drafted by the Center of Biological Diversity concerning the banning of lead core ammunition from being used to harvest wild game. Being a lifelong hunter and conservationist , I am quite outraged at the intentional misinformation that organizations such as the above mentioned CBD provide to the general public. I did some background searching on this subject using CBD's own website and found the following information on lead contamination in wild game meat. Tests for lead using swine as the medium were conducted after each animal was fed a measured amount of deer meat that was harvested by a hunter using conventional lead ammunition. One subject was fed the minimum measured amount and a blood level was measured at 2.29 micrograms of lead. A second test subject was fed the maximum amount of supposedly contaminated meat and only measured 3.8 micrograms of lead. While that is a measurable amount it is negligible!

 

Doing a little more research I discovered the FDA's Provisional Total Tolerable intake limit for lead in all foods is : for adults 75 micrograms per day, pregnant women 25 micrograms per day, and children (5 years and under) were set at a maximum of 6 micrograms. This information can be found on the FDA website for 1998.

 

ASTDR and the EPA (your agency) in both 2007 and 2008 set occupational levels at 50 micrograms per day for adults. As you can see the acceptable levels for everyday life far exceed the alleged contamination levels in harvested wild game meat. Furthermore, wild animals not having access to vitamins will search out an area rich in minerals and will ingest the soil to gain the supplements they need. This soil many times includes sulpher deposits that also contain, curiously enough, lead sulphide. The true facts are available to all who wish to see them. Organizations like the CBD and other anti-hunting groups hiding under the guise of environmentalists or conservationists create this hysteria for one pupose - to promote a political agenda. Hunters and other outdoorsmen contribute millions of dollars every year for conservation. How many dollars has one environmental group ever contributed towards our wildlife heritage?

I urge you to reject this nonsense disguised as science and expose it for what it truly is; political hype.

[pyre400]

EPA just put out a release that says it doesn't have jurisdiction to regulate lead in ammunition and shells.

‎08/27/2010: EPA Denies Petition Calling for Lead Ammunition Ban

yosemite.epa.gov

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today denied a petition calling for a ban on the production and distribution of lead hunting ammunition. EPA sent a letter to the petitioners explaining the rejection – that letter can be found here: http://www.epa.gov/o...ubs/sect21.h...

 

http://www.epa.gov/oppt/chemtest/pubs/Owens_Petition_Response.pdf

 

fixed link

 

I agree that it was a probe... This administration just got caught with its pants down..again. The good news is that I just purchased some pheasant loads today, and there was still a HUGE selection :lips sealed:

[Drylok]

These little close calls aren't good for my blood pressure, but glad they denied it

[bhannah]

EPA just put out a release that says it doesn't have jurisdiction to regulate lead in ammunition and shells.

‎08/27/2010: EPA Denies Petition Calling for Lead Ammunition Ban

yosemite.epa.gov

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today denied a petition calling for a ban on the production and distribution of lead hunting ammunition. EPA sent a letter to the petitioners explaining the rejection – that letter can be found here: http://www.epa.gov/o...ubs/sect21.h...

 

The link fails to produce the document

try this

 

http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/48D939B5009411038525778C00768006

[soundguy]

I work for the water dept. in chicago.

Most of the homes in chicago have a lead

water supply.

We are all still alive, I think!

 

Perhaps this is why we vote as we do???

[gravyboy77]

I work for the water dept. in chicago.

Most of the homes in chicago have a lead

water supply.

We are all still alive, I think!

 

Perhaps this is why we vote as we do???

LoL.

 

I think the Dems realized this:

Will the EPA infuriate gun owners--and seal the fate of Democrats on November 2?

[Sigma]

Who the heck is Michael Fry? Look how much trouble this guy could have cuased. Once again this is why we can't let them hold any office. We need to look closely at every election and make sure we keep these blasted liberals out. Looks like I'm gonna snail mail him and say ha ha.

 

I sent an email to Burris and Durbin a couple days ago, now I'm curious what there response will be. They may not even know that his petition was denied.

[Nomad]

First of all, I must preface my post by stating that I am quite uneducated when it comes to politics. So please forgive what may be a stupid question that follows.

 

What exactly is bad about banning traditional ammunition? I'm assuming that the EPA wants non-lead ammunition to be manufactured instead. Obviously, IllinoisCarry is pro-gun and I am a member who is truly pro-gun. So I guess I should oppose this ban on traditional ammunition, but my question is, what exactly is bad about this ban? Is lead ammunition greatly superior to environmentally-safe ammo when it comes to the shooting sports and personal defense?

 

I personally have only shot lead ammo throughout my life simply because the lead kind has always been standard and readily available everywhere. What's the difference between lead and non-lead ammo other than the notion that non-lead ammo is safer for the environment and human health?

[Buzzard]

First of all, I must preface my post by stating that I am quite uneducated when it comes to politics. So please forgive what may be a stupid question that follows.

 

What exactly is bad about banning traditional ammunition? I'm assuming that the EPA wants non-lead ammunition to be manufactured instead. Obviously, IllinoisCarry is pro-gun and I am a member who is truly pro-gun. So I guess I should oppose this ban on traditional ammunition, but my question is, what exactly is bad about this ban? Is lead ammunition greatly superior to environmentally-safe ammo when it comes to the shooting sports and personal defense?

 

I personally have only shot lead ammo throughout my life simply because the lead kind has always been standard and readily available everywhere. What's the difference between lead and non-lead ammo other than the notion that non-lead ammo is safer for the environment and human health?

 

I'm certainly not an ammunition guru, but I would expect that this would have a dramatic effect - on not only the accuracy of "unleaded" ammunition, but also the cost. This whole "leaded ammo ban" is just another thinly veiled attack on firearms in general by liberal minded gun banners.