My beloved State of Washington, seeking to follow in California’s footsteps as they often do, is considering a total ban on lead ammo. Clicking that link will lead you to NRA’s press release on the issue.
What’s going on is that Washington’s Department of Ecology (really?) is considering what they’re calling the “Lead Chemical Action Plan”; however this plan is open for public comment. You can click this link to visit the Dep. of Ecology’s website and comment on the plan. Here’s the .pdf file that they’re basing the plan off of; one of my big problems is that they talk about all this “non-lead ammo” that’s available, when in fact the number of manufacturers making completely lead free bullets is very small.
Washington’s plan would ban all lead ammo; right down to the .22LR that you use for plinking. Sure, you’d be able to use it a private ranges, but outdoor plinking or small game hunting with your .22 is over. Click the above links and express your opposition to this plan to Gov. Gregior and the Department of Ecology.
i live in WA and I’m not sure what to think.
Is there non-lead ammo one can use? All the stuff I have is lead now, but is there something else we can use if the lead is polluting the groundwater?
There are options, yes; but not for 22.
Where’s your faith in the Holy Free Market?
I believe that the market would come up with something like this; the problem I have is that the government is essentially forcing the market into a corner and crippling one of the largest revenue generators for the ammo industry.
I think the NRA is overreacting a little on this one. Quoting from the DoE document:
“The CAP does not include any recommendations to ban or regulate lead in any type of ammunition beyond current law.”
“The CAP is not a law or a regulation. It suggests ways for reducing sources of a specific toxic chemical, in this case lead. The draft Lead CAP calls for the use of non-toxic alternatives to lead ammunition wherever possible.”
Then again, the default position should be to not trust the gubmint, so take those quotes with as large a grain of salt as you wish…
Isn’t lead a mined material? Why is there such a commotion about taking its refined form and forcing it back into the ground? Seems totally natural to me.