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General Category => The Lodge => Topic started by: LivingDeadGirl on March 20, 2017, 07:27:31 PM

Title: Lead Ban In Future?
Post by: LivingDeadGirl on March 20, 2017, 07:27:31 PM
http://www.newsweek.com/guns-america-debate-over-lead-based-bullets-570245

You may have missed it in January, but one of former President Obama's last acts in office on January 19 was to enact a ban on lead-based ammunition and fishing tackle so that it would be completely phased out on federal lands by 2022.

Not to worry, NRA and NSSF were on the ball and Ryan Zinke, the new Secretary of the Interior, revoked the ban on his first day of office.

The main argument against lead is that it has been phased out of nearly every product imagineable that has an effect on the environment, such as gasoline and paint. The biggest argument that the EPA and others have on the effect of lead in the environment is that it was determined the lead poisoning was the leading cause of death in the still endangered California Condor.

Sporting enthuasists and associated groups say one: this should be handled at a local level, as it has been traditionally; two: lead ban would be cost prohibitive to most hunters; and three: there is not enough research to determine the effects of lead bullets in the environment on the wildlife.

According to the article, a lead ban would mean that most bullets and pellets would been to be made of steel or copper. Is there really a benefit to either of these over lead? Steel can still rust, and iron can cause toxicity and there is such thing as copper poisoning as well. While lead poisoning has been determined to be the cause of death in California condors, is this lead really coming from bullets/pellets/fishing tackle left in the environment? At the time the Condors were dying, wouldn't the more likely culprit have been pollution from industry and vechicles?

I'm not completely convinced this had anything to do with the environment, but another push to eliminate hunting and the need for firearms. What are your thoughts?