News Brief - US Coast Guard to Have Live Fire Range on Great Lakes

Summary

About a week ago, newspapers reported that the US Coast Guard (a subdivision of the US Dept. of Homeland Security) was to begin test firing the M-240 machine guns which have been recently mounted on their boats. The M-240 is a gas-operated, belt-fed, 49 inch, 27 lb. machine gun firing a 7.62mm NATO cartridge. The USCG plans on test firing them 2-3 times per year in 70 sq. mi. "safety-zones" in the Great Lakes. The SNMA Region 2 states which have boarders along the Great Lakes are Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois. All of these safety zones are at least 5 nautical miles from shores. While the plans were, per federal law, published in the Federal Register on Aug. 1, 2006, most boaters and a few government officials (mayors in both the US and Canada) had no idea that these tests were going on. Thus far this year, the USCG has conducted 24 training sessions on the Great Lakes. LT(JG) Ryan Barone, a USCG spokesperson said "I've got no good answer for [why the USCG failed to publicize the firing ranges]."

On the one hand, citizens, fishermen, and boaters are concerned about (1) the potential for accidents, and (2) the envirnomental impact of dumping hundreds (if not thousands) of pounds of lead into the Great Lakes. In addition to these concerns, David Miller, the mayor of Toronto, has stated that he also worries about setting a precedent for the weaponization of the Great Lakes. Prior to the creation of the firing ranges, US diplomats contacted Canadian authorities in order to carve out an exception to the 189-year-old Rush-Bagot Treaty (signed after the War of 1812), which prevented Coast Guard vessles from carrying naval armaments on the Great Lakes.

On the other hand, the USCG has stated (1) the "safety-zones" will provide protection enough for the public, and (2) the 89-page environmental study which was commissioned by the Federal Government concluded that the impact on the Great Lakes caused by the weapons discharges would be of no harm.

My Analysis

I would say that, as enacted, this plan is not exactly the safest one I've ever heard. I do recognize the USCG's need to effectively train its Guardsmen. It is an old maxim of warfighting that you should "train like you fight, so you'll fight like you trained." Thus, the way to become competent at firing a weapon from an unstable, moving platform (a boat), at a moving target would be to actually do it.

While I would say that the "safety-zones" are probably big enough, there obviously hasn't been enough of a public relations campaign to make the plan safe. The M-240 fires a 7.62mm round at 900 m/s and has an effective range of over a mile. It has a maximum range of nearly 2.25 mi. Thus, having a 70 sq. mi. (about 8 linear miles) training zone is probably enough space. However, the USCG does not seem to have a decent explanation of how they will prevent stray boaters from entering the training area. As far as the environmental impact, I would prefer to see an independent study or one commissioned by the an association of fisherman. The fisherman are the people who stand to lose their livelihoods if there is an adverse environmental impact.

How does this impact MDs? Well, first you should be politically aware of what's going on in the region. Second, you should keep your eye out for any changes in the public health status of your patients which my give indications that the government-commissioned report was erroneous. Given that the firing ranges are in prime fishing grounds for trout and salmon, there is some chance that recreational and/or commercial fisherman will bring in a catch from the area. For instance, a patient presents with signs of lead poisioning and says he (1) lives in a modern home, (2) doesn't work around lead (3) eats organic foods, and (4) has been fishing in the Great Lakes for decades. Given your new found knowledge you will know to ask, by the way, you weren't eating fish from there after Aug. 1, 2006 were you? As physicians, we often find ourselves on the front lines of epidemiological surveilance - gaining intelligence about your enviornment helps you put the pieces of the puzzle together.

As always, your comments on the matter are appreciated.

Sources: Monica Davey, On Greak Lakes, Worry Over Plan For U.S. Gunfire, NY Times, A1 (Oct. 16, 2006); Wikipedia, M240, available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M240, (last visited Oct. 26, 2006).