Tag Archives: lead

Featured, Government Corruption, Health

Flint, Mich. Mayor Calls State of Emergency Over City Water System’s Lead Content

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Newly-elected Flint, Mich. Mayor Karen Weaver declared a state of emergency on Monday over elevated lead content levels, connected to a problem with the city’s tap water system, that have been found in blood tests of local children.

A September study by Hurley Medical Center found a “rise in blood lead levels of children less than 5 years old living within Flint zip codes 48501-48507 after the switch to Flint River water as the source.”

The city disconnected from Detroit’s water system in 2014 and began drawing tap water from the Flint River in an effort to save on costs. The switch led to a rise in complaints by residents saying that their tap water had taken on a foul odor and cloudy appearance.

[RELATED: Massive Environmental Damage in Brazil Following Collapse of Two Dams]

On Oct. 8, in the wake of Hurley Medical Center’s study, Republican Mich. Gov. Rick Snyder provided $12 million from the state’s budget to assist Flint in reconnecting to Detroit’s water system. Gov. Snyder’s press secretary David Murray told The Washington Post that even though Flint’s water system has been disconnected from the Flint River, “some families with lead plumbing in their homes or service connections could experience higher levels of lead in the water that comes out of their faucets” due to corrosion remaining in the system.

“Lead at any level can be associated with decreases in IQ, behavioral disorders, even an association with certain juvenile delinquency as these children get older,” Michigan Department of Health and Human Services chief medical executive Dr. Eden Wells said in comments to CBS News.

Parents of children with elevated blood-lead levels have filed a federal class-action lawsuit against state and city officials for swapping their safe Detroit-supplied water with less-expensive-but-toxic Flint River water.

[RELATED: Food Safety, Environmental Groups Demand Investigation into USDA]

“I am requesting that all things be done necessary to address this state of emergency declaration, effective immediately,” Mayor Karen Weaver said on Monday according to MLive. Her state of emergency declaration seeks state and federal funding to deal with problems that she feels will arise in the future due to the exposure of local children to lead in tap water. She called on the federal government to send funds for special education, mental health, and criminal justice resources to assist in addressing those issues.

Gun Rights, US

ATF could ban .223 ammunition by reclassification

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This article has a correction. Please click HERE to read.

 

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has released a plan which would reclassify the popular .223 (M855) round as an armor piercing round.

This particular ammo type is most commonly used in all AR-15 style rifles, and if the ammo were to be reclassified, these firearms would be rendered obsolete without the proper ammo.

Reclassification of the .223 round as an armor piercing round would effectively ban sales of the round to all civilians under the Gun Control Act of 1968. The GCA says any ammo “primarily intended to be used for sporting purposes,” is the only ammo allowed to be sold to the general public. The ATF defines armor piercing rounds, though, as any ammo which is meant to penetrate body armor and was manufactured for military or police use.

However, the GCA was amended in 1986 to allow exceptions in the original Act. The amended Act, therefore, allows armor piercing rounds to be sold to”government agencies,” as well as “for testing or experimentation authorized by the Attorney General.” 

The NRA Institute for Legislative Action though, is calling the new ban a “continuation of Obama’s use of his executive authority to impose gun control restrictions and bypass Congress.”

The NRA-ILA also said by definition, the .223 (M855) round cannot be classified as armor piercing because the law lists a number of metals, such as tungsten alloy, steel, or even depleted uranium, which are used in the cores of armor piercing rounds. The .223 (M855) round however has a traditional lead core with a steel tip, and “therefore should never be considered ‘armor piercing,'” according to the NRA-ILA.

The ATF has said they will accept comments on the new framework for 30 days, and the comments will be taken into consideration for the final draft of the framework.

 

This article has a correction. Please click HERE to read.

US

Backdoor Gun Control: Will Obama Use an Executive Order to Ban Lead Ammo Imports?

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U.S. Congressman Jeff Duncan’s communications director told Benswann.com’s Joshua Cook, “we’re very concerned and extensively looking into the lead issue.”

After Congress defeated the Democrat led anti-gun bill this year, President Obama said he would use executive action to promote his gun control agenda. One of the executive orders signed by Obama prevents military-grade weapons from being imported into the U.S.

If the President can bypass Congress by using agencies like the EPA to shut down lead ammunition smelters, and stop lead ammunition imports by executive order, then you essentially have backdoor gun control.

According to the National Rifle Association (NRA), the only lead smelter in the U.S. is located in Herculaneum, Missouri, and owned and operated by the Doe Run Company. It has existed in the same location since 1892.

The Environmental Protection Agency is forcing the company to close due to the excessively emissions restrictions placed on the facility.

According to the NRA, Doe Run made significant efforts to reduce lead emissions from the smelter, but in 2008 the federal Environmental Protection Agency issued new National Ambient Air Quality Standards for lead that were 10 times tighter than the previous standard.  Given the new lead air quality standard, Doe Run made the decision to close the smelter.

Alan West wrote that this closure is basically backdoor gun control because a gun without ammo is useless. TheBlaze.com questions West’s main thesis that the smelter plant closure will effect lead ammunition, but for the NRA it’s a big concern.

According to the NRA website, “At this time, it’s unclear if Doe Run or another company will open a new lead smelter in the United States that can meet the more stringent lead air quality standards by using more modern smelting methods.   What is clear is that after the Herculaneum smelter closes its doors in December, entirely domestic manufacture of conventional ammunition, from raw ore to finished cartridge, will be impossible.”

It’s a big concern for Congressman Jeff Duncan’s office too. U.S. Congressman Jeff Duncan communications director told Benswann.com’s Joshua Cook, “we’re very concerned and extensively looking into the lead issue.”

Earlier this year gun owners experienced ammo shortages that sent ammo prices soaring. Duncan’s office said that his investigation into the  shortages is almost complete.

A shortage of lead used to make conventional ammunition is a big concern not only for gun owners, but also for law enforcement. While visiting a local gun shop in Greenville, S.C., Joshua Cook was told by the owner that local law enforcement was trying to acquire 9000 rounds, but couldn’t because of ammo shortages.

For most Americans, cutting off the ammunition supply chain is not only a national security threat, but a serious threat to the 2nd Amendment and liberty itself.

 

Benswann.com will investigate further into this issue and report new information as it develops.