‘The Trace’s’ Brand of Anti-Gun Advocacy Agitprop Spreads to More Outlets

The Trace’s brand of anti-gun advocacy journalism is now branching out and creeping into anti-hunting, anti-science activism. The Trace, of course, is the not-for-profit “investigative” news site that writes about criminal “gun violence” and often blames the lawful and highly-regulated firearm industry for any bad thing related to firearms. Oh, and it’s worth nothing that The Trace, by way of his gun control group Everytown for Gun Safety, is funded by billionaire and staunch gun control activist Micheal Bloomberg. It’s also headed up by chief kapo John Feinblatt, who runs Everytown for Bloomberg.

The playbook of publishing activism as journalism is spreading and the latest iteration has been spotted in Iowa. Anti-hunting activists used the Sentient “news site” to post a story about the alleged risks of venison that’s been donated to Iowa food banks by hunters who harvested game using traditional lead-based ammunition. Never mind the complete lack of science behind the basis of the article. Reading the “Mission” section on the site tells you all you need to know.

“Sentient is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that publishes stories and solutions to explain factory farms and their effect on climate, animals, workers, clean water, public health, politics and more.”

Original posts on Sentient are then reposted and repackaged on other news sites, giving them the appearance of legitimate reporting. Sentient even lists its publishing partnerships on its site, similar to The Trace laundering its gun control propaganda through partnerships with USA Today.

Red Meat Scare

It’s a tired attempt to score political points and smear a meaningful and beneficial program that benefits tens of thousands of people. Every year, American hunters donate millions of pounds of game they harvest to local food distribution centers to help those who are less fortunate, especially during heightened times of need. Yet gun control groups, anti-hunting organizations, and animal rights activists want to sow doubt about the game harvested by hunters using traditional lead-based ammunition.

“Studies show lead contamination in venison is not uncommon. A 2020 study found that almost 48 percent of shotgun-harvested ground venison packets in a sample from Illinois contained metal fragments, all of which turned out to be lead. Another study, conducted in 2009, found that 80 percent of tested ground venison samples contained metal fragments — 93 percent of those fragments were lead. Although no lead exposure is safe for humans, and it is even more dangerous for young children, hunters still predominantly use lead ammunition for hunting,” the Sentient article purports.

But an article specifically related to Iowa and its hunter-assisted game donation programs gives away the scheme. It’s all a ruse to frighten those in need and to advance an anti-hunting agenda.

“In Iowa, a warning label on the food bank venison reads ‘Lead fragments may be found in processed venison. Children under 6 years and pregnant women are at the greatest risk from lead [sic]. Iowa has not found cases of lead poisoning from lead in venison.’”

The report then hilariously continues with the profound question, “With all the evidence that any exposure to lead is bad exposure, why do so many states still allow potentially lead-laden meat to go to its most vulnerable community members?”

The answer is quite simple. Because there is no serious health risk to those who consume game meat that’s harvested with traditional lead ammunition and hunters overwhelmingly care about their communities and helping others in need. Generosity and sharing harvested game is deeply engrained in the hunter mentality and those who receive donated game overwhelmingly appreciate the kindness.

The Simple Facts

American hunters have used traditional lead-based ammunition for the taking game for more than 400 years. Even the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — no friend of firearms — note there has never been a documented instance of a human falling ill after ingesting game harvested with traditional ammunition. Yet over and over again, anti-hunting activists claim America’s hunters must be punished in order to safeguard wildlife.

In fact, the CDC conducted a study in 2008, after the original “lead in venison” scare, that found blood-lead levels in hunters consuming wild game harvested using traditional ammunition were actually lower than individuals in the same community that didn’t consume wild game.

The CDC study showed that no hunters using traditional ammunition had elevated blood-lead levels even approaching the threshold of concern. Now consider that the Iowa Department of Public Health has conducted an extensive panel of blood-lead testing for more than 15 years. The IDPH has stated that, “if lead in venison were a serious health risk, it would likely have surfaced within extensive blood lead testing since 1992 with 500,000 youth under 6 and 25,000 adults having been screened.”

Couple that science with the fact that record numbers of game harvested using traditional ammunition over the past few years has meant that millions and millions of pounds of fresh, healthy game has been donated to families in need when they needed it most. In fact, game processors often lament that they can’t process donated game faster, in order to help even more families in their communities, including those in Iowa.

Sentient’s game plan isn’t new, but it’s still maddening. American hunters helping their communities should be praised and assisted in ways that help them do even more. Running anti-science, anti-hunting scare agitprop as “media reporting” in order to push policies that hurt hunters end up hurting their beneficiaries – those in need.

And all of it is done with no science to support it from a supposed “scientific” faux media site.

 

Larry Keane is SVP for Government and Public Affairs, Assistant Secretary and General Counsel of the National Shooting Sports Foundation.