Gun Industry Lobby Debunks Right-Wing Medias Latest Ammo Supply Conspiracy Theory

[Old Bookaroo]

Gun Industry Lobby Debunks Right-Wing Media's Latest Ammo Supply Conspiracy Theory

A very interesting example how leaving out a single fact can make a conspiracy theory almost sound plausible. And how people who don't do their own due diligence can fall for the lie...

Blog ››› December 3, 2013 11:50 AM EST ››› TIMOTHY JOHNSON

The National Shooting Sports Foundation, the gun industry's trade group, is pushing back on a conspiracy theory promoted by right-wing media that the Obama administration is using the Environmental Protection Agency to eliminate the domestic ammunition supply.

In November, The Doe Run Company announced that they will shutter their primary lead smelter at the end of the year -- the last such facility in the country -- as part of a settlement the company reached with the EPA in 2010. The settlement also involves the payment of $7 million in civil fines for violations of environmental law and an agreement to spend $65 million to correct past violations. A Doe Run senior communications liaison explained to The Salem News Online that, "The closure was really a result of increasing standards and an aging facility" and noted that it would be too expensive for the company to comply with clean air regulations.

Conservative media have claimed the EPA move was a backdoor attempt to limit the supply of lead ammunition. But responding to those conspiracies, NSSF senior vice president Lawrence Keane told The Washington Times that, "Manufacturers use recycled lead to make ammunition. They don't buy from smelters. The EPA closing, which has been in the works for a while, will have no impact on production, supply or cost to the consumers."

As Keane suggested, the root of the ring-wing media's conspiracy theory is the mistaken belief that ammunition must be made from lead obtained from the earth as opposed to recycled lead. Even Doe Run, which also operates a secondary lead smelting operation, noted in a November 7 press release that the closure will only affect products that require primary lead.

But right-wing media promoted evidence-free claims that the closure demonstrated a sinister Obama administration plot to eliminate the domestic ammunition supply. Most notably former Republican Rep. Allen West, who is now a conservative columnist and Fox News contributor, claimed in a column excerpted by Breitbart.com that "after December 2013, any ammunition that will be available to US citizens will have to be imported, which will surely increase the price and possibly come under government control." According to West, "backdoor gun control is in full effect in the United States." As noted by liberal blogger Joseph West, large sections of West's column were plagiarized from another right-wing author.
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Gun Industry Lobby Debunks Right-Wing Media's Latest Ammo Supply Conspiracy Theory | Blog | Media Matters for America

Good luck to all,

~ The Old Bookaroo

 

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[Treasure_Hunter]

Has nothing to do with the lead smelter but it does with all the bullets bought by the DHS ( a private army) and the lefts gun grabbing agenda....

I am up to 850 rounds of .45 and over 1000 rounds of 9 mm and still buying..

We will NOT go quietly into the night!

 

[Unclebuck257]

OB,

OK, I'll acknowledge that the initial post from the right regarding this smelter shutting down was incorrect, however as TH has stated, there is no denying the left wing agenda of banning weapons and much higher priced ammo, via additional proposed taxes on ammo and higher priced ammo components, to discourage and deny weapons owners further access to ammo. That cannot be denied since it is part of the Congressional record due to proposed bills from the left wing anti gun folks. It is no wonder then that something like this lead smelter situation would/could then be misconstrued by the right and taken the way it was. It was however, incorrect according to this article from the industry, IF this article is correct itself.

 

[pong12211]

I buy when I can and what I can.. I remember when I was a kid getting a brick of 22 bullets for $13 and shooting them with no worries about replacing them.. Some people are paying as high as $100 for a brick now.. How sad is that.. Hope to see it get better someday but am doubtful it will.. To many people in this country want to blame the gun and not its operator for the actions..

 

[NHBandit]

I have read quite a bit concerning the ammo shortage and here's what I have come up with. Not taking sides, just stating what I believe to be the facts of the matter. The lead smelter is not to blame. There is plenty of lead to go around and if there was really a shortage the last thing any company would do is close it's doors. Lots of lead is imported. It also comes from junk car batteries by the ton. This I KNOW is a fact having spent half my life in the auto salvage industry. What is contributing in a big way to the shortage is that due to the panic caused by the gun & ammo grabbing stories of a year ago, everyone has become a "prepper". Guys that used to go to the gun shop for one box of .22 long rifle see some on the shelf and buy it all in case it really does go away. Add to that the speculators who hang around the gun counter at the local Walmart waiting like vultures. They know roughly what time the trucks get unloaded and when the ammo hits the shelves they buy whatever the store limit is. They also call their buddies and tell them to get down there quick. The following Sunday you will see them at the local flea market asking $80 for a $20 brick of ammo. As for military type calibers.. .223, .308 etc. The government & the UN has stopped the importation of foreign military surplus ammo. Brand new ammo is coming in from Russia (go figure) but the tens of thousands of cases of surplus are being destroyed instead of imported. Strangely the military calibers (new manufacture stuff) are showing back up on the shelves but .22LR is still scarce. There's what I know about it and I have a couple of friends that are big in the industry as licensed manufacturers of new ammo and this info comes directly from them, not some garbage I read on the internet. I'm sure the libs hate the next thing I'm going to say but it's absolutely true. President Obama and his cronies with their constant attempts are circumventing the Constitution, have been the biggest boost to the firearms & ammo industry in years. Production of nearly everything is at record numbers.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I am buying for multiple reasons, 2 of the biggest reasons are prices going up and the fact if it ever does hit the fan you want be able to even find much less buy as it will be too late then...

We will NOT go quietly into the night!

 

[NHBandit]

I am buying for multiple reasons, 2 of the biggest reasons are prices going up and the fact if it ever does hit the fan you want be able to even find much less buy as it will be too late then...

We will NOT go quietly into the night!

I would also suggest getting into reloading except that powder & primers have been nearly as scarce as loaded ammo for the past year or so. Which reminds me, I have 1000rds of .308 brass to tend to as well as 500rds of 44 magnum.

 

[Red James Cash]

Another reason to buy a muzzle loader as a back up.In a long lasting SHTF scenario ammo will eventually run out for one reason or another.Powder is easily made.

 

[NHBandit]

Just as a side note Mr Obama recently snuck through an executive order while you were sleeping stopping the importation of most military surplus weapons. I know I'll sleep better at night knowing the the problem of all the drive by shootings by gang bangers using WWI bolt action rifles has been dealt with... NWV News - Media Ignores White House Ban On Military Surplus Guns Has anyone figured out yet that the government push for gun control really has nothing to do with reducing crime ?

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Just as a side note Mr Obama recently snuck through an executive order while you were sleeping stopping the importation of most military surplus weapons. I know I'll sleep better at night knowing the the problem of all the drive by shootings by gang bangers using WWI bolt action rifles has been dealt with... NWV News - Media Ignores White House Ban On Military Surplus Guns Has anyone figured out yet that the government push for gun control really has nothing to do with reducing crime ?

It's those assault sling shots I'm worried about...

We will NOT go quietly into the night!

 

[loco oro]

i would like to just throw this out there guys , we are all on this forum for being interested treasure hunting in one form or another, for those that reload,there are massive galeana deposits in central pa,this is pure enough out of the ground, that just primary reduction, i.e just a hot fire, will get you all you need,george washington secured these during the rev. look it up galena deposits of sinking valley pa, just saying if it gets real bad we still will have all the lead we want.this deposit is at the surface in many areas.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I have lots of lead, I save all the lead sinkers I find and I have about 90 pounds of dive belt lead now... I wonder how many rounds of .45 you can get from 100 pounds of lead.

We will NOT go quietly into the night!

 

[Old Bookaroo]

Treasure Hunter:

Worked for David.

Good luck to all,

~ The Old Bookaroo

 

[Backbacon]

Has anyone noticed the increase in the price of lead fishing weights and jigs lately? I wonder if the two are related, I smell a conspiracy...

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Has anyone noticed the increase in the price of lead fishing weights and jigs lately? I wonder if the two are related, I smell a conspiracy...

I haven't needed to buy any in a long time so I wouldnt know, I find a lot of lead weights hunting the salt beaches.

We will NOT go quietly into the night!

 

[Peyton Manning]

I buy when I can and what I can.. I remember when I was a kid getting a brick of 22 bullets for $13 and shooting them with no worries about replacing them.. Some people are paying as high as $100 for a brick now.. How sad is that.. Hope to see it get better someday but am doubtful it will.. To many people in this country want to blame the gun and not its operator for the actions..

and when I was a kid gas was 24.9 a gallon, today it is 3.39 here- maybe the gov is buying up the gas so I can't afford it!

 

[smokeythecat]

Treasure Hunter, now just don't go around pulling wheel weights off cars

 

[Old Bookaroo]

Unclebuck257:

You wrote: "It is no wonder then that something like this lead smelter situation would/could then be misconstrued by the right and taken the way it was."

The purpose of my post was to provide an example of what thin confections so many of these wild conspiracy theories really area. The ammo industry uses re-cycled lead. I would think people who care so much about it would know a simple fact such as that.

Paranoia and fear mongering just aren't healthy for anybody - left, right, or center.

Good luck to all,

~ The Old Bookaroo

 

[Dave44]

Did I read this in the article??
"The EPA closing, which has been in the works for a while, will have no impact on production, supply or cost to the consumers."
So the EPA isn't a factor in this?

The EPA is overstepping it's initial mandate,, and is bypassing congress to make rules the political appointees want the most. There is real problems with some of these groups.

 

[NHBandit]

and when I was a kid gas was 24.9 a gallon, today it is 3.39 here- maybe the gov is buying up the gas so I can't afford it!

I saw $2.85 here in Tennessee today. And out in my garage on my restored Texaco pump from the 60s it's only 27.9 cents. buttt... the price of gas didn't double or worse almost overnight because of the real or imagined fear of confiscation by a US President. Ammo prices going from $18 for a brick of .22LR ammo to $80 in less than a year isn't the result of inflation so your comparison dosn't hold water.