At the request of Public Health, Seattle & King County, the Washington Department of Labor and Industries has released a “first draft” of a new statewide regulatory scheme targeting lead and lead exposure in the workplace. As drafted, these proposed regulations will impose complicated and expensive burdens on shooting ranges and retailers, potentially making it difficult for many to continue operations.
Shooting ranges are vital to the safe practice and exercise of our constitutionally protected Second Amendment right to self-defense, and maintaining access to shooting ranges is a top priority for NRA. To view the 50-page proposed regulations, click here.
Existing federal and state law already provides extensive regulation of lead in the workplace. In addition to the federal requirements under the Occupation Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Washington also has regulations in place regarding workplace lead exposure and has enforced these regulations through inspections and citations. The 50-page draft regulation proposes new and much more demanding requirements that significantly exceed compliance under existing law without providing any clarification on the need for these additional requirements. Furthermore, there have been no economic impact studies on the effect these regulations will have on small businesses.
Your NRA will continue to actively participate as a stakeholder in the development of these new rules in meetings with the Department of Labor and Industries and representatives from other industries. We will provide ongoing input on the impact the proposal will have on gun ranges, retailers, and our shooting community. Please stay tuned to your email inbox and www.nraila.org for further updates on the status of the proposal.
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