Gun Lobby Quietly Puts An End To EPA Regulating Traditional Ammunition

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Lobbyists, in general, are largely considered the villains of modern democracy.  Lurking in the shadows, they’re often hired to discuss sensitive political issues with our elected officials in an effort to “facilitate reform”.  Just sometimes, though, those shadowy people happen to come out on the right side of democracy.  While the anti-gun movement has hit heavy divisions within their own ranks, the National Shooting Sports Foundation has managed to insert specific language into a recent National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that prevents the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating ammunition used by sportsmen as toxic agents.  According to a recent write-up by the Connecticut Post, President Barack Obama signed the renewed NDAA into effect with that provision still in place.  It would effectively tie the hands of the EPA to try to regulate ammunition for sportsmen.

While this may go completely unnoticed by many gun-owners or even anti-gun advocates, there was always the insidious thought that sparing an actual anti-gun initiative, the EPA could always be used as leverage to greatly restrict the rights of American citizens.  Thankfully, this appears to no longer be the case.  The National Rifleman’s Association heralded the response by the NSSF as a great victory for the Second Amendment.

“Prohibiting the EPA from banning traditional ammunition is a huge victory for hunters, recreational sportsmen and our military,” the NRA said in its release. “This ensures that our military, hunters and sportsmen will have access to traditional ammunition at a reasonable cost.”

Prior to that concession in the NDAA, over a hundred environmental groups acting under the auspices of anti-gun advocacy had petitioned the EPA to begin regulating ammunition as a toxic substance under the Toxic Substances Control Act.  If allowed, the EPA would have then been able to take jurisdiction over the procurement, distribution, storage, and discharge of those classes of ammunition found to be toxic.  Thankfully, a three-judge federal appellate court decision overturned that petition and kept the EPA out of firearms regulation.

“The NRA certainly did win a round in that battle, but the effort to regulate ammunition is not over,” Bill Snape of the Center for Biological Diversity, said.  Snape, one of the leading attorneys for that advocacy group, insisted its bid for EPA regulation wasn’t about stopping hunters or regulating ammunition — even though it pretty much explicitly does cover both of those things.  He furthermore promised to continue in his efforts to thwart the Second Amendment and subject firearms to additional federal government restrictions outside of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.

It’s just one more example of the insidious lengths anti-gun advocacy groups will go to attack the Second Amendment through alternate means.  If they can’t beat us, they’ll just put on different costumes and try, try again.  Thank goodness we have a Bill of Rights which has, up to this point, withstood the multiple tests of time.