Rifle Clubs Are Loaded with Lead

November 21, 2014- When blood tests revealed that 20 young people from the junior team at the Vancouver (Wash.) Rifle and Pistol Club had been overexposed to the toxic metal lead in 2010, they highlighted a growing problem in shooting ranges across the U.S.

Vancouver Rifle is just one of many private gun clubs across the U.S. where members have been exposed to lead hazards in a sport with growing numbers of people. Gunfire can leave lead residue in the air, on skin, or on nearby surfaces. Some ranges are poorly ventilated.
The most vulnerable are children learning to shoot in clubs operated by volunteers who may have little knowledge of the risks of firing lead ammunition.

Clubs like Vancouver Rifle are membership-based organizations. With no paid employees, they aren’t governed by workplace-safety laws and aren’t subject to inspections. In this unregulated world, it’s nearly impossible to determine how many thousands of ranges are contaminated.

Read the full seattletimes.com story here.

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