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Reducing Exposure to Lead and Noise at Indoor Firing Ranges

Reducing Exposure to Lead and Noise at Indoor Firing Ranges

Action Target

Provo, Utah --(Ammoland.com)- A major concern when shooting at an indoor range is the contained nature it requires and the hazards present.  Workers and users of indoor firing ranges may be exposed to hazardous levels of lead and noise. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recommends steps for workers and employers to reduce exposures.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, more than 1 million Federal, State, and local law enforcement officers work in the United States [DOJ 2004]. They are required to train regularly in the use of firearms. Indoor firing ranges are often used because of their controlled conditions. In addition to workers, more than 20 million active target shooters practice at indoor firing ranges. Law enforcement officers may be exposed to high levels of lead and noise at indoor firing ranges. NIOSH estimates that 16,000 to 18,000 firing ranges operate in the United States.

Several studies of firing ranges have shown that exposure to lead and noise can cause health problems associated with lead exposure and hearing loss, particularly among employees and instructors. Lead exposure occurs mainly through inhalation of lead fumes or ingestion (e.g., eating or drinking with contaminated hands).

Action Target has been a pioneer, innovator and industry leader for limiting lead exposure and the reduction of noise at indoor shooting facilities.  Our ventilation systems are designed to ensure proper airflow across any range. Through our partnership with Carey’s Ventilation Systems, we provide the best performing and most efficient systems available on the market today. Our design exceeds NIOSH standards, and maintains a 100% success rate in industrial hygiene utilizing:

• Ceiling Mounted Unique 180 degree Air Delivery Systems.
• A design which makes plenum walls obsolete.
• Digital and Analog control systems which adapt to changing environmental conditions to maintain the required air velocities and building pressures.
• Upgrade packages for existing Firing Ranges available.
• Custom designed systems to meet any type of application.

Carey’s has constructed our own Plexiglas-walled test range, which allows us to test air speeds, diffuser angles, ceiling heights and transitions, supply and return locations, duct sizing, and vortex settings to determine the optimal configuration for any type of range.

As another example of Action Target’s industry-leading partnerships, we have teamed with numerous sound abatement companies to meet the requirements of our customers.  Our sales staff can provide you with detailed information on past projects that required the expertise of our sound abatement partners.

We will work with you to design and build the indoor range that meets your needs.  If you would like to speak with an Action Target representative about the proven solutions we have for reducing lead and noise at your indoor facility, go to our Contact Us page.

To read more from NIOSH on this subject, Reducing Exposure to Lead and Noise at Indoor Firing Ranges

About Action Targets:
Action Target is a privately owned business headquartered about 40 miles south of Salt Lake City in Provo, Utah. For the last 20 plus years, Action Target has been the dominant force in shooting range equipment design and manufacturing for law enforcement, military, and commercial ranges around the world. We are proud of our commitment to deliver advanced firearms training products that help prepare our men and women in uniform for the heroic job of defending our safety and our freedom. Visit: www.actiontarget.com

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NRA Lawsuit Sets Legal Precedents For Defending Hunter’s Rights
Many of the Center for Biological Diversity documents raise doubts about the veracity of the CBD claims. In fact, documents obtained by NRA indicate that claim is based on faulty science.

California Rifle and Pistol Association

Sacramento, CA --(Ammoland.com)- Although the case is still pending and a final ruling is yet to be issued, NRA’s intervention on behalf of its members in the case Center for Biological Diversity v. U.S. Bureau of Land Management, et al., has already resulted in several legal victories.

CBD’s lawsuit, filed on January 27, 2009, alleges that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) are illegally mismanaging federal lands in Arizona. CBD contends California condors in Arizona and elsewhere are becoming ill or dying as a result of scavenging game that was shot by hunters using lead shot or bullets.

NRA has collected thousands of documents via public records act requests over the last year. Many of these documents raise doubts about the veracity of that claim. In fact, documents obtained by NRA indicate that claim is based on faulty science, and plainly show that California condors were reintroduced to Arizona based in large part on express promises by FWS and other agencies that the “reintroduction” would not impact hunting.

A January 13, 2010 court ruling granting NRA’s motion intervene was recently published in the official Federal Rules Decision reporter. The Federal Rules Decisions Reporter is a compendium of selected United States District Court rulings that specifically interpret and apply the Federal Rules of Civil and Criminal Procedure. Publication of this court ruling is important to hunters and NRA members because it sets legal precedent and confirms that there is “significantly protectable interest” in hunting that can justify intervention by hunter’s rights groups like NRA in the increasing number of lawsuits filed by so-called environmental groups against state and federal natural resource, game and land management agencies. Groups like the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) often file lawsuits alleging improper regulatory action or inaction in managing public lands and natural resources in attempting to advance their anti-hunting agenda.

The publication of the decision followed an earlier NRA partial victory in this case; NRA’s legal arguments caused the CBD to abandon and dismiss its California condor related Endangered Species Act (ESA) claims rather than litigate them against NRA. CBD’s ESA claims were based in part on an incorrect belief that “any take of [California] condors from the use of lead ammunition would be a per se violation of the ESA.” CBD’s revised its lawsuit and dropped the ESA claims that CBD was primarily using as part of an attempt to obtain a ban on the use of lead ammunition for hunting on these federal lands at issue.

On December 10, 2010, NRA filed its “summary judgment” brief in the case Several other briefs have also been filed, and all remaining briefs will be filed by the end of February 2011. A hearing date will be set after the court receives all of the briefs. Because NRA intervened in the case on a narrow issue regarding the use of lead ammunition in northern Arizona (and the case has many other elements), it is possible the lead ammunition related aspect of this case may be resolved as early as this spring.

To see key documents filed in this case, visit http://michellawyers.com/cbdvblm.

About:
The California Rifle and Pistol Association “CRPA,” founded in 1875, is dedicated to defending the rights of law-abiding citizens to responsibly use firearms for self-defense and the defense of their loved ones, for sport, and for all other legal activities. CRPA is the official state association of the National Rifle Association. A California non-profit association, CRPA is independently directed by its own Board of Directors. CRPA’s members include law enforcement officers, prosecutors, professionals, firearm experts, the general public, and loving parents. CRPA has always worked to reduce the criminal misuse of firearms and firearms accidents, while actively promoting and organizing the competitive shooting sports and Olympic training programs in California. We are proud to say that many CRPA competitors are among the best in the world. Visit: www.crpa.org

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