Lead Ammunition in Jeopardy in Washington State!

[Aristotle]

http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?ID=4175

Lead Ammunition in Jeopardy in Washington State!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Please Stand-Up and Make Your Voice Heard!

The lead ammunition you use for hunting as well as target and competitive shooting will be banned from purchase, use and ownership in the state of Washington if the state's Department of Ecology has its way. Lead ammunition is a target of a series of recommendations in the "Lead Chemical Action Plan" prepared by the Department of Ecology.

The plan is open for public comment until Monday, October 6. The plan and information about submitting comments are available at: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/swfa/pbt/leadcap/.

Lead shot has been banned in waterfowl hunting. Most recently, California passed a law that prohibits hunters from using lead ammunition in areas within the range of the California condor. A symposium was held in June in Boise, Idaho about the effects of lead ammunition on wildlife and humans. Most of the speakers supported a ban on lead ammunition, regardless of the cost, performance, and availability of substitutes. The Department of Ecology plan is yet another effort to remove lead ammunition nationwide.

Please take the time to submit comments to the Department of Ecology and to Governor Chris Gregoire (D). Let the Governor know that there is no adequate substitute for lead ammunition and that any affects on humans and wildlife do not justify a ban as recommended by her Department of Ecology. Governor Gregoire can be reached by phone at (360) 902-4111, by fax at (360) 753-4110, or click here to send email. The Governor can also be reached by U.S. Mail at: Governor Chris Gregoire, Office of the Governor, P.O. Box 40002, Olympia, WA 98504-0002.

[kimel]

UPDATE

Lead Ammunition Still in Danger in Washington State!

Please Continue Contacting the Governor and the Department of Ecology!

In September we sent you several alerts pertaining to the draft Lead Chemical Action Plan (CAP) released by the state's Department of Ecology (DOE) for public comment.  Through our political contacts in Washington, we learned that they have received more than 1,000 emails and phone calls from NRA members.

We are always gratified that our activists rise to the call when grassroots involvement is critical to the outcome of legislation, regulations, ballot measures, and in this case, a state agency document.  Thank you for taking the time and making the effort to express your views about the draft Lead CAP to the DOE and to the Governor.

In response to comments received from NRA members, the DOE was initially insisting that, "There is no proposed ban on lead ammunition in the draft Lead CAP."  A follow-up NRA alert pointed out specific references to lead ammunition prohibitions.  Subsequently, DOE issued a "correction" to the draft Lead CAP that deleted only one of the references to a prohibition on lead shot.  One change in the document does not cure the problem!  The DOE continues to state that it is not recommending a lead ammunition ban, only a voluntary conversion to non-lead alternatives.  The draft Lead CAP, however, is still replete with statements that unmistakably direct the reader and importantly, state legislators and regulators, to the conclusion that lead ammunition should be banned.

We are sending you the comments that the NRA filed with the DOE.  Those comments can be viewed by clicking here.

We encourage you to continue your communication with Governor Chris Gregoire (D) and the DOE and respectfully request that all reference to lead ammunition be removed from the draft Lead CAP before it is released as a final document. 

Governor Gregoire can be reached by phone at (360) 902-4111, by fax at (360) 753-4110, or click here to send email.  The Governor can also be reached by U.S. Mail at: Governor Chris Gregoire, Office of the Governor, P.O. Box 40002, Olympia, WA 98504-0002.  Comments can be sent to the DOE via email at hdav461@ecy.wa.gov, by fax at (360) 407-6102.  Comments sent via U.S. Mail should be addressed to: Holly Davies, Department of Ecology, P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600.