Where does lead come from? It is an element, not a compound from some mystic scientist creation. It comes from the ground. A problem is it's concentration in areas that do not have natural deposits. For many years firms like Gene Sears Company out of Oklahoma have been mining lead shot from trap ranges and dirt fill back stops. This is certainly not anything new. That pretty much takes care of the football field sized drop zone. It is not very difficult to monitor when a drop zone is ripe for mining, plus the club actually makes money, reselling their share of the recovered shot.
From a personal safety concern, shooting ranges have done a good job preventing particulate concentrations for the shooters. Regulation already exists to force this, even if an indoor range would be slack in this area. Personal safety is not new, even when I started shooting and reloading in the early 70's, there were warnings against eating and drinking on the line, washing your hands, etc. Basic and effective. I still see a bubba or two set up a propane grill next to the shooting pavillion for a day outing. That is not a lead problem, but a personal choice.
When the city of Chicago shut down the Rod and Gun club that shot over the lake, the anti gun politicos were on the TV talking about the 100's of millions for the taxpayer cost to clean up. Within days, there were legal filings by all the salvage companies who wanted to mine the shot deposits. Do the math, a ton of shot every weekend for 100 years on a fallout area the size of three football fields. Pretty easy recovery.
Lead is stable before it is broken down by other chemicals. In the case of birds and fish, digestive juices caused a problem. Waterfowl hunters have been using non toxic shot for decades.
Today's instrumentation is sensitive enough to register lead presence pretty much everywhere on the planet. That is exactly the tool the anti gun bunch love to use to justify their ends. Of course there is the "save the children" crowd. I grew up in old buildings full of lead paint, but was taught not to eat the windowsills. Sounds like a parent problem.
Lead "problem", I do not see it.
From a personal safety concern, shooting ranges have done a good job preventing particulate concentrations for the shooters. Regulation already exists to force this, even if an indoor range would be slack in this area. Personal safety is not new, even when I started shooting and reloading in the early 70's, there were warnings against eating and drinking on the line, washing your hands, etc. Basic and effective. I still see a bubba or two set up a propane grill next to the shooting pavillion for a day outing. That is not a lead problem, but a personal choice.
When the city of Chicago shut down the Rod and Gun club that shot over the lake, the anti gun politicos were on the TV talking about the 100's of millions for the taxpayer cost to clean up. Within days, there were legal filings by all the salvage companies who wanted to mine the shot deposits. Do the math, a ton of shot every weekend for 100 years on a fallout area the size of three football fields. Pretty easy recovery.
Lead is stable before it is broken down by other chemicals. In the case of birds and fish, digestive juices caused a problem. Waterfowl hunters have been using non toxic shot for decades.
Today's instrumentation is sensitive enough to register lead presence pretty much everywhere on the planet. That is exactly the tool the anti gun bunch love to use to justify their ends. Of course there is the "save the children" crowd. I grew up in old buildings full of lead paint, but was taught not to eat the windowsills. Sounds like a parent problem.
Lead "problem", I do not see it.
Last edited:
