Look out California...Another reason for the anti's to ban your guns

[RaetherEnt]

There was another thread recently that mentioned if the anti's will never be able to take away the guns, they might go at it from an enviromental direction because of the dangers of lead poisoning...

Here you go.

Condors seen at risk for lead poisoning

PINNACLES NATIONAL MONUMENT, Calif. - Wildlife officials laid traps for California condors to test for lead poisoning after many were spotted feeding on squirrels that had been shot.

Even microscopic lead traces from ammunition can paralyze digestive systems in the endangered species and cause the birds to starve to death, park officials said.

The traps were laid over the weekend after 11 of the park's 13 condors were seen feeding on the squirrel carcasses, said Denise Louie, the park's chief of natural resources.

Highly contaminated condors will be taken to the Los Angeles Zoo for surgery or treatment.

"We don't know who shot the rodents or why," Louie said. "If rodents have to be shot, maybe their carcasses can be buried to protect not only condors but other carrion eaters and raptors."

The species was listed as endangered in 1967 but the population has grown to about 300 birds after intensive breeding efforts. Pinnacles is a longtime California condor breeding area.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060620/ap_on_sc/brf_condors_lead_poisoning

 

[Zen21Tao]

The species was listed as endangered in 1967 but the population has grown to about 300 birds after intensive breeding efforts. Pinnacles is a longtime California condor breeding area.

Statistically the problem of an endangered animal getting lead poisoning seems very low to me.

1. There are very few Condors compared to other animals
2. There are very few shot rodents left in the woods to die.

Based on these intial base rates:

1. The chances of an endangered Condor finding and eating a shot rodent is extremely low compared to all the other possible scavangers in the woods that can find and eat the rodent.

2. The food that Condors does choose to feed on is far more likely to be some other available food source than that rare shot rodent left to die.

 

[Justin]

As I understand it, they've been trying this tactic in California for years.

 

[Rickstir]

I have actually had CA Condor, roasted on open coals. Very tastey, kind of like a cross between a Whooping Crane and a baby seal.

 

[0007]

I prefer a brace of Spotted-Owls on a green-stick skewer slow turning over hot coals myself

 

[AJAX22]

C'mon guys lets spin this to our favor, if lead is dangerous to shoot, I'm more than willing to go after squirls with solid bronze accelerator loads, or perhapse tungsten carbide core AP ammo. If we use a .50 BMG the concussive wave is enough to kill the squirl, hence no lead poisoning issues.

Afterall, its for the childeren.

 

[longeyes]

How many condors fought for this country in the Revolution?

Environmentalism doesn't supersede the Bill of Rights.

 

[Zrex]

Environmentalism doesn't supersede the Bill of Rights

Slow down there turbo! The bill of rights talk about keeping and bearing arms. It says nothing about having the right to shoot them or own ammunition for them. Geez... you "living document" people always trying to read things into the constitution........


im just kidding in case anyone doesn't get it

 

[CAnnoneer]

I have stopped arguing with leftists. There is no point. The ones that are not smart enough, recite church-of-liberalism catechisms, so one might just as well be talking to a wall. The ones that are smart enough to get it, choose not to and thus are intellectually dishonest anf functionally equally worthless.

Yes, they will argue that bullet lead poisoning kills some bird, while they continue to partake in the bounty brought to them on leaded gasoline, by leaded electronic circuits, using leaded car batteries, etc.

If they want to live in a completely clean world without modern technology, they had better turn green and learn to photosynthesize.

As far as lead bullets go, fine, we'll switch to low-caliber, high-velocity aluminum bullets, so long as THEY pay for it.

 

[longeyes]

Taking care of the environment, given that we live inside it, is common sense. But most environmentalists I've heard are just neo-feudalists in disguise, with a Government Knows Best agenda. They prefer Order/Safety to Liberty, and that's one of the great philosophical divides. Also, beware of those who seek "purity;" they turn out to be fundamentalist extremists.

 

[shooter94]

"I have actually had CA Condor, roasted on open coals. Very tastey, kind of like a cross between a Whooping Crane and a baby seal."

----------------------------------------------------------------------

That's way cool...

 

[Creeping Incrementalism]

As I understand it, they've been trying this tactic in California for years.

It seems like I have been hearing about it for about two years now, but that tactic stalled, last I heard. The fact is there is no scientific proof that lead ammunition is causing lead poisoning in condors.

I had no idea that condors lived at Pinnacles... I used to go camping there every spring, until I during the El Nino year in the late 90s, when I watched the placed getting washed out on a CNN clip. A neat place to visit.

 

[Standing Wolf]

...beware of those who seek "purity;" they turn out to be fundamentalist extremists.

Puritanism is a long, long way from dead in America.

 

[ProficientRifleman]

Propaganda

And what if they find NO BIRDS with lead poisoning? Not to worry... the "news story" has alread had it's psychological impact.

 

[Deanimator]

Don't laugh. That's EXACTLY how the NASA Lewis range in Cleveland was closed down.

That range had been open for DECADES, used by the NASA guards, the Lewis Sportsman's Club and rented out by Lewis to various local police departments and federal agencies.

Then one year, they got in an Environmental Health guy who was virulently anti-gun. He was determined to close down the range NO MATTER WHAT. So he just kept ordering environmental lead tests at the range. All of them came back negative, so he just kept ordering tests until he got the results he wanted. I worked for the company who did some of the tests, and they kept coming back negative. He was eventually able [somehow] to get a test he could use to condemn the range.