Should firearm safety also include the material of the projectile being used?

[Jerry M]

Lead is an element, found in nature as it has been since the beginning of the planet.

 

[dfanonymous]

how many condors really die as a result of a random bullet in a random place during hunting. It's dumb, they are doing a disservice to the game if anything by forcing this lead free craziness.

 

[ATH]

I have been shooting large volume for 30 years. I have been eating 80% game meat shot with lead containing bullets for that time as well. For the last 20 years I've processed them myself and discarded shot damaged meat.

I've been tested for lead and come back clean. End of story.

 

[Deleted member 46119]

There are fragments of most any projectile in the damaged area at the wound
site no mater what material is used .

But who eats this meat !!!!

As always, the subject is much more complicated than "I eat it and have no lead in MY system".

READ THIS CAREFULLY: I DO NOT SUPPORT banning lead. I use lead. My personal preference is just not for hunting or varmint control.

While the anti's do indeed use every nonsense argument they can to push their agenda there is some fact and science to lead vs. not.

I am a raptor (hawks and falcons) breeder, trainer and l use them for hunting, much more than I use a gun. Small game, non-game and birds, ducks, pheasant, grouse, etc..

This puts me in the field with young raptors. I have "rescued" more than one YOUNG wild hawk and falcon that had lead poisoning from eating lead shot animals. Whether the hawk or falcon got the lead from scavenging or "catching" the wounded, it doesn't matter.

It is not the mature human, predator or scavenger where lead is the issue, it is the young. In humans and animals the small fragment of lead that got by the processor in meat that didn't look blood shot is enough to cause problems for the rest of their lives.

There was a study done on the children of hunters who ate the game. These children had elevated levels of lead in their systems. While it did not affect the adults, the cumulative negative affect on the young humans is not disputed. The actual affect on each human is not measurable as there is no baseline.

Children eating shot game is the same as children eating lead based paint. Bad news.

So to answer your question now: "Who eats this meat", my dogs do, my birds do. I waste nothing. Since I use copper for hunting, I tried the "blood shot" meat. It is very metallic from the iron in the blood. Other than that it is fine. Dogs seem to love it. Birds seem to love it.