DEC to use "Leadfree" ammo

[Chenango]

Interesting article in today's Binghamton Press on how the DEC is going to use "leadfree" ammo.

DEC to stop using bullets made of lead. 'Green' ammunition for use at firing ranges
By Cara Matthews
Albany Bureau
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ALBANY -- The state Department of Environmental Conservation is reducing its negative impact on the environment by giving up lead-based bullets used for firearms training in favor of less harmful "green" ammunition, Commissioner Alexander "Pete" Grannis announced Monday.

"(The) DEC is committed to leading the way in finding new ways -- large and small -- to reduce the amount of contamination that is released into our environment," the commissioner said in statement. "DEC's 464 environmental conservation officers and forest rangers are leading the state by implementing a common-sense change to use non-toxic ammunition in order to protect public health and the environment from the effects of lead."

The "green" ammunition is less harmful to the environment because it is lead free and includes non-toxic primers. The DEC's officers shoot more than 150,000 rounds of ammunition a year for training, and they are exposed to lead dust when they fire.

Lead from bullets at firing ranges can cause environmental damage in several ways, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Lead oxidizes when it is exposed to the air and dissolves in acidic water or soil. Dissolved lead can migrate through soils into groundwater. Bullets, bullet particles or dissolved lead can be moved by storm water runoff.

The EPA estimates there are about 9,000 non-military outdoor firing ranges in the country, with patrons collectively shooting millions of pounds of lead each year.

Health problems associated with children's lead exposure include damage to the brain and nervous system, behavior and learning difficulties, and slowed growth, the EPA's Web site states. Adults are at risk for reproductive problems, high blood pressure, neurological disorders, kidney dysfunction and other ailments.

The DEC said "green" bullets are slightly more expensive than regular ones, but the state could save money in the long run by eliminating an environmental and public-health hazard and preventing a potential need for lead removal at firing ranges.

The DEC has implemented some other initiatives to prevent wildlife from lead exposure. They include a requirement that only non-toxic shots be used in waterfowl hunting and a ban on the sale of lead sinkers (for fishing lines) that weigh less than half an ounce.

 

[str8shooter48]

Oh Boy! I can see where this is headed in the next couple years.

A case of our governing bodies looking out for our well being again. I'm an avid skeet shooter and over the past year have seen the price of any component containing lead skyrocket. A bag of shot has doubled in a year. The price of primers is getting stupid. I open my e-mail from the shooting supply places and see the "Buy you ammo and components before the Jan 1 and beat the price increase". Whats up with lead? Maybe if the Chinese would stop trying to poison our children with toys painted with lead based paint,that might help. The automakers and their Hybrid vehicles, it take lead to make batteries. It just pisses me off that the price of enjoying the sport that I and many many others is getting way out of hand. Maybe I being selfish in my rant here but I'd rather enjoy the shooting sports and my GMC pickup than drive a Toyota Prius.

Happy New Year

[Graybeard]

Now would be a good time to buy some stock in Barnes Bullets if it were a publicly traded company.

[Qtip]

IMHO (and it is humble) I think the tree huggers and animal lovers are behind a lot this garbage. Not to mention the anti-gun crowd. ANYTHING to make it tougher on "us"! I read on the web somewhere and wish I could remember; that much of the research and data leading up to steel shot for waterfowl was based on faulty data and research. Do these "well intended" folks truly believe we will live to be a hundred if we just clean everything up and live the way they think we should?  They are really in for a big surprise. I'm not saying we should be careless; it's just that I question a lot of this kind of crap. As far as what the ECO's do at the range I think I'd rather shoot duty ammo for practice so I am familar with how my sidearm shoots when I really need to use it. I may be old school but that's what I was taught during my 27 yrs. as a Deputy Sheriff. I wonder if they issue them face masks to wear if the happen to get behind a truck while driving down a highway? God; just imagine the pollutants! Quick! Someone get an opinion from Al Gore!!

Qtip
Soli Deo Gloria!   

[ironglow]

 
   In recent years, we find that anyone convicted of "domestic abuse" cannot own a gun..Wisconsin is extending that ban to anyone convicted of "animal abuse"
  and nationally, they are trying to outlaw anyone ever treated by a mental health professional as ineligible for gun ownership.
    Let me say first that I am not in favor of any true abuse, human or animal..
   ..But this is just a backdoor way of denying 2nd amendment rights ..seeing how easily one can be charged for either...and imagine what happens if some local constabulary decides to send someone to the "shrink" on a whim, and how many school kids will be sent to one just to pare down the numbers of potential gun owners..

   I look at this lead ban as just another ploy to cut down the hunter/voter pool.. Weren't we warned about this Granis guy when Spitzer appointed him ?

[K.K]

Be afraid, boys, California has just mandated non-lead bullets for big game hunting. That means Barnes and I think one Winchester bullet for everyone! Do you mean to tell me that will all of the junk that big business has dumped into the ground, the air, and the water, that lead bullets pose a risk?  I mean, I can't even eat the fish from my home river!  This is a case of ignorant law makers limiting our freedoms and rights. There is no way that the relatively few hunting bullets that get fired each year pose a health risk to anyone or anything, except the deer that it hits.

[Varmint Hunter]

I agree that this is probably a bad sign. The ECO's are leading the way to what??

Fortunately there are several alternatives just in case they do ban lead bullets but they are all expensive.

By the way, you can add Nosler's newest bullet to the lead-free bullet list - the E bullet. It looks very promising and if it's from Nosler you can bet that it will be a quality bullet.