doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Lead shot increasingly under fire

When the ban on lead for waterfowling was being introduced in the US and Canada, our major (in fact, the only at the time) outdoor magazine ran a series of articles on lead vs non-tox shot, with some expert opinion. The series generated a flow of readers' letters, and I vividly remember one of those. It ran like this:

"I load my shells on a table in my backyard. I keep chicken, and every time a pellet drops on the ground, a chicken will run up and peck for it, thinking it's something edible. And every time the chicken will recognise something is wrong, and spit the pellet right out! Now, if a domestic chicken is smart enough to know that a lead pellet it not food, you'll never convince me that a wild duck, who's ten times smarter than any chicken, will be stupid enough to gulp it down!"

Now, I guess a ban on lead shot is not exactly a laughing matter. But every time I hear about this nonsense, that old letter comes back to me, and never fails to cheer me up!

No man is an island, but I feel pretty much buffered from the anti-lead crowd's doings. Today and tomorrow, I will shoot what I please on my own land.
Nobody paid for it, but me!

While I remember the effect on waterfowl from ingestion being a concern when I gave up duck hunting (thats right, I said "the hell with it" when lead shot was verbotten, and shooting a redhead or a canvasback got you about the same penalty as shooting a bald eagle, about 1980 or so) the real reason was the effect on higher predators that fed on mildly poisoned ducks, which concentrated the lead in them. Bald eagles have made an impressive comeback since then, but, I dare anyone to show us how it was from banning lead shot for waterfowl hunting. Banning DDT, I might be persuaded to believe, but, lead?
Best,
Ted

It all boils down to the issue of control. Lead may be a problem for some people BUT we grew up in houses painted with lead paint , I lived in old houses which had generations of lead paint on them and in the ground around them. I painted red lead paint on bridges and towers as a young man and got lead in my mouth and on my skin every day for many months with no ill effects. My parents told me as a child that lead was toxic to eat but did not prevent me from casting toys made of lead. Lead is a naturally occuring metal and its presence in water or food is easily determined if one is looking for it. We had lead pipes in Charleston, SC that fed our municipal water supply. A few children ingesting lead paint has fueled this public hysteria about lead. Instead of educating the public about the dangers of the world is not better to make the world as safe as a childs nursery? No guns in the nursery, therefore no guns anywhere except in the hands of the police and military. There is a an ulterior motive behind the wish to control all dangerous materials and weapons which plays into the hands of those who believe that our government should hold all power and that we as citizens should be completely under its control. These people have the Thomas Hobbs mentality. Aparently it is a strong trait in human nature. Those of us who believe that man must be in charge of his own life are not always strong enough to fight off the Hobbes types, but we must try. When a shooting war comes along we get our chance and the Hobbes guys are extremely glad to have us around but in times of peace we get battered. David

No person is an island Lowell. My smallest farm is over 200 acres and the largest is over 600 acres. Most areas that I hunt have no chance of the shot ever leaving my property. But the tree huggers know best how to safe guard me from all risk. The nanny state makes it every increasingly harder to do want you want with land that is your own.

I had one "State Official" tell me that I did not own the shoreline, that it was "state property" and I was not allowed to do anything with it with out their permission. Funny how they wanted to tax me for it just like I owned it. So I deeded a narrow strip over to a "not for profit charity" which was tax exempt. Made my waterfront proterty into water view property and forced the government to lower my tax bill by thousands of dollars. They took it to court and lost. Claimed that because I kept a right of way and simple easement that they should still be able to tax me at the higher assessed value. Judge and jury so no. Thought that they were going to crap bricks. Bright day for me I have got to tell you.

Lead was banned from waterfowl because the "endangered" birds were thought to be at risk because of it. Same was the case for the complete ban of DDT 40 years ago. This week it was anounced that DDT is being brought back because it is very effective in insect and pest control and the use of it will same many thousands of lives in the third world.

The last time I saw a Bald Eagle, back east on my farm, it was eating a dead chicken that had been removed after they came to get all the chickens. This one died that day and was left to be removed with the crust manure. When it was spread in the feild it is fair game for vultures or other "birds of prey". This one was being eaten by a Bald Eagle. Some national symbol. Just a vulture with a good paint job.

Lead will be banned in the next 30-50 years unless we get real smart. How about some chemist figuring out how to coat the pellets with someting that makes it disoulve in water or a plastic to seal it so it is inert after shot? Or just make the use of it a taxed thing, opps it is already. What is not anymore?

Sounds like it might be safer to shoot Damascus barreled guns than to have sex.
Ky Jon pick up a copy of "The Golden Age of Waterfowling" good read when you can't shoot or have sex or you can enloy all three, if your good at the same time.

Maybe there is something to the lead contamination making people crazy. Look at the French. There were two major wars on there soil and I'm sure there are many tons of lead in their farm land soils. I wonder if that means that the people around Gettysburg will soon become crazy also? I agree with KY Jon's opinion. But you need to start referring to the Democrats as to what they actully are as I do. Communist! The Democrats have absorbed the Socialist and Communist party and adopted it's principals. Gun control has nothing to do with guns but everything to do with control.

Mr. Lowell I hear too much leAd can cause your pencil to quit writing. Then you'll need Viagra.

Remember our forefathers paid for your land...you are just a tenant. You should be okay I figure there's not much chance of you polluting the land with your little Kimber .22 shooting at a few crows.

Way to sock it to the Gov. KY Jon! good job!

I own some land, a little over 100 acrs that has two streams. Part of the land is down stream from a local R/G club that has been around for more than 50 years. I shoot there from time to time ..... The stream that passes through the club has no living creatures ..... and when I had the water tested, with the idea of putting a well near by, I was told that it contained 500X the lead level of safe drinking water. The other stream supports Brownies and Brookies in good health and size. I knew the club was there when I bought the place so I have no argument with what is/was shot there ..... I shoot there myself ...... BUT, to say the lead issue is just a tree hugger lie or an anti gun plot is very short sighted. Anyone who doubts lead is toxic and would like to drink a few gallons of that stream ..... just send me a jug and I'll fill it for you.