Ammo Price Surge Expected as EPA Regulations Close Lead Smelter

Breitbart.com ^ | 12-1-2013 | AWR Hawkins

[bigbob]

Because of heightened EPA regulations, Doe Run Company's Herculaneum lead smelter in Herculaneum, Missouri—the last U.S. smelter of its kind—is closing its doors on December 31, 2013.

Once this happens, the lead for traditional ammunition will have to be imported, thus driving up the price for bullets, shotgun shells, etc.

The Herculaneum smelter has been operating in the same location since 1892. And according to the NRA's Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA), "it is the only smelter in the United States which can produce lead bullion from raw lead ore," so once it closes, the only lead smelters left in the nation will be ones that recycle lead from existing items "such as lead acid batteries or spent ammunition components."

Herculaneum's product is the type of lead used to make components for traditional lead ammunition, and once the smelter closes, such lead and/or ammunition components will have to be imported into the U.S. Ammunition prices are expected to rise, reflecting import costs.

[X-spurt]

B I N G O !!

[Lazamataz]

Well, there’s lead, and then there’s lead. See the difference?

[Buckeye McFrog]

And then foreign countries will refuse to export to the US for “violence-producing purposes”, just like they will no longer export drugs to be used for lethal injection.

And they’ll have the 2nd. Amendment thru the back door.

[Mygirlsmom]

Though ammunition is grave concern and this will drive up prices, there are other every day items that will also be affected such as car batteries and other equipment that still uses lead acid tech.

That, and medical equipment and aviation parts plus much more.

[ChildOfThe60s]

Anyone else considered the notion that this is being done to sabotage our military as much as it is us?

We have critical electronic components for military hardware being made and imported from the Chicoms. As well as other military goods. Now we’ll have to import the lead to supply the military with ammo.

WTF? This is suicidal. But it is calculated and deliberate.

IMO we are dealing with genuine evil now. Not just venal, power hungry bastards. Real, scary and mammoth evil.

[dennisw]

All you anti-Mitt Romney people feeepers who voted libertarian or sat it out....How do you like him now? Do you think he would be allowing this lead smelter shutdown??

We are an advanced industrial nation. It is startling that we allow the leftist anarchist punks in the EPA shut down the last lead ore smelter in America. How many jobs will this destroy including lead mines and mines where lead is part of what they pull up.

Bottom line = fewer real world productive jobs
Bottom line = more useless affirmative action “workers” at EPA

Private sector contracts
Federal Gov’t sector expands and expands via over regulating American producers to justify their bullshyte makework “jobs” at EPA etc EEOC etc Dept of Education etc ad nauseum

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

I think this is overwrought. There is copious lead mining both in northern Mexico, with smelting done in Torreon, which is mostly used in car batteries but can easily produce ingots easily converted into bullets; and there are several lead mines in Canada as well.

In fact, lead is so cheap and available, it is usually a secondary or tertiary product at these mines after the metals they do want, like zinc and several others.

That we no longer mine or smelt lead in the US just means that some parts of the US will slowly stop being really toxic waste dumps, where no plants grow.

[Axenolith]

Secondary production of lead is/will still go on as a byproduct of silver/gold/copper et.al. production.

There’s also probably several million tons of it laying around in recyclable form (old batteries, wheel weights, linotype, etc... I find 50-100 pounds of it a year).

[tumblindice]

Shave the whales!

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

There’s pollution, bad pollution, and the area around some old mines and smelters pollution. I’m talking groundwater creeks that have colors from red to purple.

This mine in Picher, Oklahoma, has a world class ranking for pollution comparable to just a small handful of others, that include some of the horrifically polluted places in the former Soviet Union.

[bunkerhill7]

nope no cad in there

I am almost 80 so when does it hit? when I am 90?
HAHAHGAHA

[familyop]

That won’t cause a lead shortage for ammunition. It’s yet another propaganda piece from crooks to scalp customers. See the following.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3097369/posts?page=26#26

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3097369/posts?page=10#10

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Zackly.
Plenty of lead enters the market from mines producing more valuable ores.

I used to travel through Herculaneum and remember the air being tinted orange.

[Toddsterpatriot]

Damn Chinese and their cheap lead!

Now we're more dependent on foreigners during time of war. Down with free trade, up with tariffs!!!!

[dangerdoc]

Cumulative. Maybe the next time you are exposed, maybe not. I could give you a better answer if you let my biopsy your kidney.

[central_va]

When the ballon goes up I have some reserved lead for any Free Traitors I come across.

[Toddsterpatriot]

That's awesome!

How about for the guys that just shut down this smelter, with no input from the Chinese?

[central_va]

If you have bullet molds, any old car battery has enough lead in it to make many, many bullets....

[lapsus calami]

 

 

Blogpimps all over the internet have been getting a lot of mileage out of the smelter story and have been convincing a lot of people who don't know any better. The article below has the best summary I've seen so far to combat the hysterics. If anyone has something even better, post & ping me please.

 

 

It’s the end of the primary lead smelter in Herculaneum (and I feel fine)

bearingarms.com

November 8, 2013 at 9:10 am

by Bob Owens

 

In recent days various news outlets, blogs, and forums have gotten very worked up over the closure of the nation’s last primary lead smelter in Herculaneum, Missouri. Many are claiming that this is an attempt of the Obama Administration to implement “backdoor gun control” by destroying the lead used as the primary metal in most bullets and shot used by the ammunition industry.

 

This is simply untrue.

 

Despite the hysteria to the contrary, the primary smelter in Herculaneum has almost no direct impact on the U.S. ammunition market. Pure lead, in fact, is not desirable for the creation of ammunition as it is too soft. Pure lead is primarily used in the creation of low-contamination specialty products.

 

Where does all the lead in the U.S. go? The eggheads at the US. Geological Survey state:

 

 

By the early 2000s, the total demand for lead in all types of lead-acid storage batteries represented 88% of apparent U.S. lead consumption. Other significant uses included ammunition (3%), oxides in glass and ceramics (3%), casting metals (2%), and sheet lead (1%). The remainder was consumed in solders, bearing metals, brass and bronze billets, covering for cable, caulking lead, and extruded products.

 

 

According to Daniel Hill, Operations Manager at Mayco Industries—”the largest fabricator of lead based products, other than batteries, in the United States” including lead shot and the lead wire used by many bullet manufacturers— roughly validates these numbers. Hill said that least 80% of lead used in the United States secondary market comes from recycled batteries and another 7%-9% of lead on the market comes from other scrap sources. Only 10% of the lead in the U.S. comes from mining.

 

Translated into plain English, ammunition isn’t a primary lead consumer (3%) in the United States, and the majority of the lead used by ammunition manufacturers comes from secondary smelters that recycle lead from car batteries.

 

Sierra Bullets confirmed earlier this week that they have never used lead from a primary smelter.

 

Tim Brandt of ATK (Federal Premium, CCI, and Speer ammunition), noted that they had just added this to the top of their frequently asked questions (FAQ).

 

 

Q: Does the recent news regarding a major U.S. lead smelter shutting down mean you’ll have trouble obtaining lead for manufacturing conventional ammunition?

 

A: At this time we do not anticipate any additional strain on our ability to obtain lead.

 

 

Brad Alpert, President and Operations Manager of Missouri Bullet Company, was even more blunt, calling fears of a shortage a “tempest in a teapot,” stating that the closure of the primary smelter have “no impact” on their production.

 

David Hargett, CEO of new North Carolina-based ammunition manufacturer Cape Fear Arsenal considers the closure of the primary smelter a “non-issue.”

 

In summary, the closure of the Doe Run primary smelter will have little to no impact on the ability of ammunition companies to produce bullets, because they have no direct interest in the consumption of “pure lead” produced by a primary smelter.

 

The ammunition companies we were able to speak with obtain the lead wire they use in the creation of bullets from secondary smelters and foundries that create lead alloys made from recycled lead from batteries and other scrap sources.

 

It’s the end of the nation’s last operating primary lead smelter, but not close to seeing the end of lead ammunition manufactured in the United States, nor are we seeing an attempt at backdoor gun control.

[caver]

“Many decades of ignoring obvious upgrades that could have been made passed while Doe Run Company was quite profitable have led to the current shutdown.”

I have no evidence to be able to present to disagree with you, but how could a lead smelter be able to stay in business all these years, with these “violations” without the EPA shutting them down?