“Loaded with Lead” is a three-part investigation examining lead hazards at shooting ranges nationwide. Based on tens of thousands of pages of public records and scores of interviews, the investigation found that toxic lead exposure is a widespread problem pervading most of the nation’s 10,000 gun ranges at a time when shooting sports now reach 40 million recreational shooters annually. The series’ key findings included that thousands of people have been over-exposed to lead at gun ranges; reckless shooting-range owners have repeatedly violated workplace-safety laws with little regard for sickened workers; and state and federal regulators are failing to ensure that gun ranges are safe.
