philagothon
Sharpshooter
My niece was planning on coming to the 9/17-18 Bedford shoot, but just found out yesterday that she is pregnant. She has been really excited about going to an Appleseed shoot and was totally heartbroken when I told her last night that she would not be able to shoot. I've spent the morning reading up on the risks of shooting while pregnant and I'm wondering if this might still be a doable thing.
It seems the major unpreventable risk is related to the sound levels. At the time of the Appleseed she will likely be at 6-8 weeks. From my reading this morning, it appears that babies have zero sense of hearing until ~16 weeks and that the major hearing organs are not complete until 24 weeks. So I'm not sure the sound would/should be a major issue.
The other major risk, especially with 22lr, is lead. It seems the major exposure risks are loading lead ammo, shooting lead ammo, and eating without properly washing up. If either her fiance or myself load her mags then that risk is eliminated. We can get some de-lead soap so that she can wash up properly, greatly reducing that risk. The one seemingly unavoidable risk would be shooting lead ammo and lead vapors. Fortunately it is an outdoor shoot, so that will help reduce the lead somewhat. I've looked into getting her a lead mask, but I'm not sure it would be possible to get a proper cheek weld while wearing a mask, or that trying to get a cheek weld would not cause the mask to leak. I also wonder if shooting copper plated ammo would reduce the exposure risk somewhat.
Yesterday was a very emotional day for her, full of highs and lows, but one of the lowest moments was when I told her that she would not be able to shoot at the Appleseed. I know that she would be much more upset though if something happened to her baby.
So, what do all of you think? Can the potential dangers be reduced enough that a first trimester woman can shoot at an Appleseed?
It seems the major unpreventable risk is related to the sound levels. At the time of the Appleseed she will likely be at 6-8 weeks. From my reading this morning, it appears that babies have zero sense of hearing until ~16 weeks and that the major hearing organs are not complete until 24 weeks. So I'm not sure the sound would/should be a major issue.
The other major risk, especially with 22lr, is lead. It seems the major exposure risks are loading lead ammo, shooting lead ammo, and eating without properly washing up. If either her fiance or myself load her mags then that risk is eliminated. We can get some de-lead soap so that she can wash up properly, greatly reducing that risk. The one seemingly unavoidable risk would be shooting lead ammo and lead vapors. Fortunately it is an outdoor shoot, so that will help reduce the lead somewhat. I've looked into getting her a lead mask, but I'm not sure it would be possible to get a proper cheek weld while wearing a mask, or that trying to get a cheek weld would not cause the mask to leak. I also wonder if shooting copper plated ammo would reduce the exposure risk somewhat.
Yesterday was a very emotional day for her, full of highs and lows, but one of the lowest moments was when I told her that she would not be able to shoot at the Appleseed. I know that she would be much more upset though if something happened to her baby.
So, what do all of you think? Can the potential dangers be reduced enough that a first trimester woman can shoot at an Appleseed?
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