HYDROVIV: Don’t Blame Lead Contamination on Gun Ranges

Hydroviv water filters

If you’re current on the news, you know that one of the latest tactics being used to keep us from shooting is saying that lead from downrange bullets contaminates drinking water.

Lead contamination is a potential problem… but the government doesn’t exactly have clean hands on this topic.

Anyone who grew up in the Sixties and Seventies will remember the controversies over lead paint and leaded gasoline that were much in the news at the time. While change eventually occurred for the better, it took decades of pressure on paint manufacturers, and plenty of local legislation, before the United States banned the use of lead additives in household paints nationwide in 1978. This is after knowing the toxic effects of lead for DECADES. We finally thought that this toxic material was finally put to bed.

The latest wave of struggles involves lead contamination in municipal drinking water, accompanied by suspect government agency behavior in the wake of the events. Hard as it may be to believe some 40-50 years after lead paint and leaded gasoline were all over the news, lead contamination is still a problem in many cities, and official responses have sometimes been slipshod.

Lead is found in the infrastructure of older public water delivery systems, as well as home plumbing that pre dates the late 1980s. When the municipal tap water providers do their jobs correctly, the lead stays in the pipes and does not leach into the water, but when they cut corners, the toxic material enters our water.

From roughly 2001-2006, Washington DC’s municipal tap water provider allowed lead contamination to enter the water supply at nearly 100 times the legal level, and covered it up. It took a major series of award-winning articles in the Washington Post and subsequent Congressional hearings to get this issue thoroughly aired and addressed, and as recently as 2010, many homes served by the system were still known to be at risk.

Most recently, the city of Flint, Michigan, has faced its own lead nightmare as a result of a switch in its water sourcing from the City of Detroit to the Flint River (pending a later switch to Lake Huron in 2016). Flint was supposedly advised by the State of Michigan that the Flint River water would be safe, but they were advised poorly. The water is brown, it stinks, it contains unacceptable levels of the very dangerous E. coli pathogen, and it is highly corrosive, which has led to the shedding of lead into the water and an alarming increase in the number of children who are demonstrating elevated lead levels and the symptoms that go with them.

Citizen vigilance and holding politicians accountable are the best ways to make sure that the REAL source of lead contamination isn’t blamed on downrange bullets.   Do yourself a favor, contact your local representatives, and take the first step toward protecting your family from this type of incompetence by getting a free, no obligation, water quality analysis for your home.
Source: http://www.hydroviv.com/drinking-water-filters.html

Pro-Gun Creativity: Interview With Spur

Spur Ergo Gun Grips

The advertising industry in general is not a friendly place for conservatives, I once had a Republican Creative Director that had anti-death penalty pro-bono work in his portfolio. Why not pro-death penalty? Pro-gun? Pro law enforcement? Because it’s just not done.

That’s why I was very honored when the Creative Director and Owner of Spur Creative Studios got in touch with me, after finding some of the ads they created for Ergo Gun Grips on my site.

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1. Can having a gun or gun product account hurt your chances of getting “mainstream” accounts? Most of the ad agencies I have worked for are terrified of controversy, are their fear justified? Have you ever heard a client say, “I can’t hire your agency because you advertise Ergo Gun Grips?”
As with anything, it depends. If you strictly work with gun accounts and only have gun accounts in your portfolio, then it may end up affecting you negatively since you won’t have other work to show to new clients. I personally have never encountered any resistance from my clients in other industries. I’ve always been a believer that it is important to work with a diverse group of clients because insights in one particular industry may serve as advantages in another.

2. Has a gun ad ever won an advertising award such as Clio, Addy, etc?
We have not submitted any of our ads to award competitions.

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3. How did you get your ideas the Ergo Grip campaign? What was your inspiration?
We worked closely with the marketing group to gain customer/behavioral insight. Ultimately, we wanted it to resonate with their target customers, which can range anywhere from sport shooting to military, but tend to lean toward law enforcement. We kept this in mind by creating a look that was tactical yet rugged.

4. Some TV stations won’t air gun ads, Google is also anti-gun, Facebook has disapproved ads that featurethe word “gun,” so besides magazines, what other alternatives exists for the firearm industry to get the word out?
Short, informational and engaging videos are a great way to get across your message because not only are they easy for people to find, but easy for them to share as well. The expense of creating a high-quality video these days has really decreased so its a great tool to take advantage of.

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5. How do you feel about the Starbucks red cup controversy? I have noticed that brands such as Sneaky Pete are proud to embrace Christmas, they will use Santa Claus imaginary, Christmas trees, even write “Merry Christmas” as a headline. “Mainstream” companies are doing the opposite in the name of being inclusive. Which side is right?
I think the uproar is a bit over the top. In the end Starbucks is only benefiting from all of this chatter. I don’t know that there’s a right or wrong, since a business is not a person and is void of morality; its main focus should be its brand and its customers. Saying “Merry Christmas” to your customers if you are a Jewish deli is probably not the best call, so its all about knowing your base and what will resonate with them.

If you’re looking for an ad agency that’s eager to work with guns and gun products, check out SPUR at http://bornonthefrontier.com