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Nineteen wildfires in Utah have been sparked this year by target shooting as dry and windy conditions make such ignitions more likely, authorities said. Authorities counted 24 wildfires sparked by guns last year, and 20 the year before. Three months remain in the dry season.
Story is HERE
Tracers. Big load H-110 ??
H/D
Somehow I doubt that firearms caused all of those wildfires.
That reads more like a hit piece of anti-gun journalism to me. Throw blame without facts to back it up.
Now if they said smokers dropping cigarettes that were not completely extinguished while shooting...maybe.
Yes, I have seen wadding from a .50 cal Hawken flintlock smolder for a while and possibly be a fire hazard in the past. But really, how many of those incidents are there really going to be in one season?
:blink:
Yep. And in free range country the sparks off of cattle stampedes is a worry too. Huevos rancheros for lunch is another concern as the afternoon...er...passes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lordofwyr
^^^YEP^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Some crybabywhinerkneejerkantigunidiot reporter grabbing at straws
If it were me reporting I'd have said that it was most certain that the wild fires were started by Alien spacejunk coming into the atmosphere, heating up and landing in a dry spot.
And I have the Sheri,,,,,,er, Night watchman from the local trailer park to verify everything.
I personally saw a target catch fire during an AK training class. So the notion that shooting could not start a fire is preposterous.
The Springer Fire in Teller County CO may have been caused by shooters shooting at propane bottles or tanks. Hows that for stupid?
How did it catch fire? I am curious..Quote:
Originally Posted by Chad Rogers
I dunno about 20... there have been a few. One or two at least were caused by exploding targets, which are against the law here. There's been a general consensus here that the number is greatly inflated, and us shooters are starting to feel like scapegoats.
Who's shooting tracers? That's the ONLY thing I could possibly see sparking a wildfire in the back-country.
Idiot reporters
I could see tracers starting a fire on paper targets, or if exploding or fuel filled targets were being used. Plain old lead and copper going through paper I cannot see starting a fire.
Same concerns out here in the AZ desert - you won't get sparks from plain lead bullets, but nearly everything else can cause sparks when rocks get grazed, not to mention all the dang metallic junk lying around that people shoot at (car parts, appliances). I've seen sparks plenty of times when shooting into the shale backstops.
A couple of weekends ago I was shooting with some friends near the White Tank Mountains west of Phoenix. There wasn't much vegetation around, but we managed to set an old mattress on fire with our rifle rounds when we were shooting at soda cans!
Bottom line, the risk of fire from recreational shooting is real.
I hate the blame game. Sounds more like liberial finger pointing. EVIL target shooters shame shame on you.
Most shooters I know are responsible and if they started a fire would put it out or take the blame for it. But I guess if you are in a remote area you may not see something spark at distance. It is real dry here in the Midwest, my grass is yellow.
I will agree that sparks may cause a fire. How many have tried and succeed in starting a fire by just using flint and sparking it over a piece of unprepared ground. Yes it is possible but not very likely. In order for a spark from flint to start a fire, it has to have a well made tinder ball, and even then it takes care to get it going.
Flint makes a lot more sparks than general rocks or pieces of junk lying around. Now if they are shooting at targets that are designed to explode, or ignite, therein lies the problem.
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Steel-core AK or SKS ammo would spark if fired against steel targets such as propane bottles.Quote:
Originally Posted by goldshellback