July 09, 2007

OSHA PROPOSED RULES TO MAKE TROUBLE FOR GUN OWNERS

Buried in the thousands of pages of proposed government regulations published each day is a very nasty attack on gun ownership, gun training, and related matters. What is worse, we have only three days left to submit comments about it. I don't know why I've not heard of this earlier, but am passing on what I know, and urging everyone to act.

THIS IS URGENT: Deadline for comments is 12 JUL 2007.

A good explanation of this bizarre proposed rule here.

I quote in part: As written, the proposed rule would force the closure of nearly all ammunition manufacturers and force the cost of small arms ammunition to skyrocket beyond what the market could bear—essentially collapsing our industry. This is not an exaggeration. The cost to comply with the proposed rule for the ammunition industry, including manufacturer, wholesale distributors and retailers, will be massive and easily exceed $100 million. For example, ammunition and smokeless propellant manufacturers would have to shut down and evacuate a factory when a thunderstorm approached and customers would not be allowed within 50 feet of any ammunition (displayed or otherwise stored) without first being searched for matches or lighters. NSSF is urging all retailers to contact OSHA directly and request a 60-day extension of the public comment period. Retailers should inform OSHA that the proposed rule constitutes a "significant regulatory action" as defined in Executive Order 12866 (1993) Section 3(f)(1) in that it will clearly "adversely affect in a material way" the retail sector of the firearms and ammunition industry, productivity, competition and jobs and that the annual compliance cost for all retailers of ammunition will far exceed $100 million dollars.

You can read the whole nasty thing here.

How to comment:

The fastest is by E-mail, using the government website. Here is how:

On the search, first scroll down and select "Documents open for comment" at step 1

scroll down to "Occupational Safety and Health Administration" at step 2

scroll down more and select "proposed rules" at step 3

skip the next step and click on submit

On the new page, go to this item:

Explosives 04/13/2007 PROPOSED RULES [image: View file in PDF and click on the balloon at the far right end of the line.

This will take you to a form to fill out which needs your name, mailing address, name of organization or company, type agency ("Federal") and agency name ("Occupational Safety and Health Administration" and NOT the next one, the review board. I suggest using some real, if incomplete address, but NOT a bogus address. I suggest using at least initials in your name, if you are concerned about being identified. And I suggest using your membership in a shooting organization, a political organization, or the terms "Private Citizen" or "Gun Owner" or "U.S. Taxpayer" for your company or organization, unless you ARE submitting comments as a company or other organization (gun shops should be!). The form will not work if you leave any of the required fields blank.

Here are my own comments, submitted today (I intend to submit more after I read the Federal Register notice):

RE: Docket No. OSHA–2007–0032

Request to Extend Public Comment Period and Request for Hearing on "Significant Regulatory Action" as Defined in Executive Order 12866

Please extend the comment period by at least 60 days to give more opportunity for comment from the public and the businesses involved. This clearly meets the definition of "significant" and will cost me, my family, and many other families hundreds of dollars a year in increased costs for ammunition and related matters. It will also cost businesses (and therefore consumers) indirectly and directly even more money, and will raise the cost of many other products. This is wrong, and needs to be addressed in detail. I strongly believe that these regulations are unnecessary and have costs which far outweigh the supposed benefits.

This took about five minutes, including several false starts, and I have a slow connection.

Please pass this on to everyone you can.

I found out about this by way of by the radio show "The Shooting Bench" on AM stations 740 KRTZ (Cortez, CO) and AM 1390 KENN (Farmington, New Mexico ). Visit their website to listen to the commentary about this OSHA proposed rule (Archived podcast) or call Ross Sporting Goods, 505-325-1062.

Nathan Barton is writing this from a wonderful place in the West, which might be in the Black Hills of South Dakota or Wyoming, or might be in one of the Four Corners States. Exactly where it is, the breezes blow with the scent of liberty, and the sound of the pines or the pinions is the sound of freedom. For thousands of years, people have fought and died for the liberty that Americans in the great spaces of the West enjoy, and he writes these commentaries in the hopes that continued generations will be able to do so, until the end of Time.

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