OSHA trying to regulate ammunition sales, storage, handling

An alert from GRNC.org

OSHA's Backdoor Gun Control Scheme

When gun grabbers can't attain their goals through legislation they
do the next best thing. They use bureaucrats. This time the action
comes down through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA), the government agency charged with assuring the safety and
health of America's workers. This unelected bureaucracy is attempting
to seriously curtail if not shut down the manufacture and sale of
ammunition through a proposed regulatory rule.

RULE WOULD CLOSE MOST AMMO MANUFACTURERS

Through this rule OSHA would do what only a regulatory agency can do,
make the cost of producing ammunition economically impossible.
Industry wide compliance costs could easily exceed $100 million.
These rules include such ridiculous mandates as ammunition and
smokeless propellant manufacturers having to shut down and evacuate a
factory when a thunderstorm approaches and customers not being allowed
within 50 feet of any ammunition (displayed or otherwise stored)
without first being searched for matches or lighters.

This is subject to a public comment period, which our friends at the
National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) are pushing to have
extended by 60 days. The current period will expire on July 12.

The NRA version:

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has proposed new rules that would have a dramatic effect on the storage and transportation of ammunition and handloading components such as primers or black and smokeless powder. The proposed rule indiscriminately treats ammunition, powder and primers as "explosives." Among many other provisions, the proposed rule would:

* Prohibit possession of firearms in commercial "facilities containing explosives"—an obvious problem for your local gun store.
* Require evacuation of all "facilities containing explosives"—even your local Wal-Mart—during any electrical storm.
* Prohibit smoking within 50 feet of "facilities containing explosives."

It’s important to remember this is only a proposed rule right now, so there's still time for concerned citizens to speak out before OSHA issues its final rule. The National Rifle Association, National Shooting Sports Foundation, and Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute will all be commenting on these proposed regulations, based on the severe effect these regulations (if finalized) would have on the availability of ammunition and reloading supplies to safe and responsible shooters.

The public comment period ends July 12. To file your own comment, or to learn more about the OSHA proposal, click here or go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket Number OSHA-2007-0032; you can read OSHA’s proposal and learn how to submit comments electronically, or by fax or mail.

What bites about this sort of thing is that OSHA is a group of non-elected individuals and therefore not accountable directly to the voters. I have great disdain for executive fiat implemented by a regulatory agency. There are not a huge amount of explosives related job injuries out there.

There is a 55 page pdf file with the proposed rule http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspubli...ontentType=pdf

I added my comments to the official record. Here is what I wrote:

I do not see anywhere in the Constitution of the United States that a regulatory agency under the executive branch of government has the authority to make rules regarding the use of arms of their necessary components such as propellants and primers.

There are some ludicrous requirements such as evacuation during an electrical storm that, quite frankly, are not feasible nor common sense filled. As a fire protection specialist, I do believe that some of the requirements I have read are overkill.

Have there been demonstrable increases in work place deaths or injuries as related to the storage, transportation, sales, and use of explosives, much less that of ammunition? If there were, it probably would have been newsworthy.

The proposed regulations would effectively cripple ammunition sales by a regulatory agency. OSHA is not a legislative body, duly elected by the populace. Ergo, its authority must be held in check, especially when it infringes upon Constitutionally guaranteed rights and tramples free trade under the guise of safety regulation.