In 2004, the Coast Guard on the five
Great Lakes started mounting machine guns on
their cutters and some of their smaller
boats in an effort to fight terrorism,
immigration and human smuggling. No one
seemed to take objection with it until
January of 2006 when they started live fire
training. There have been multiple concerns
raised. The Coast Guard has responded to the
concerns by temporarily stopping its
training sessions to give those interested a
chance to voice their opinions and concerns.
They are currently holding a series of 9
public hearings all to be held prior to
November 13th, 2006 to solicit input from
those concerned. If you cannot attend one of
the meetings, you can contribute your
thoughts online through the Coast Guard’s
comment section of their website at
www.uscgd9safetyzones.com. The website also
offers other information about the training
program.
Since January of 2006, the Coast Guard
had held 24 live training sessions on the
lakes. They mounted M240B machine guns and
plan to test 2-3 times a year in 70 mile
square areas known as “safety zones”. They
propose to have 34 safety zones. Boaters
will be restricted from using the safety
zones only during fire training. Because the
Great Lakes represents the largest open
border of the United States (approximately
95,000 miles), making efforts to protect our
US border is essential for various reasons.
The armed boats are not designated as naval
forces, but as “law enforcement vessels”
operating under the Department of Homeland
Security. All five Great Lakes will be
involved: Lake Michigan, Lake Erie, Lake
Huron, Lake Superior, and Lake Ontario.
The United States and Canada have
reinterpreted the Rush-Bagot treaty which
was signed between Britain, (now Canada) and
the United States in 1817 after the war of
1812. In 1817, both sides agreed to limit
fire arms. In 2004, Canada and the United
States agreed that US Coast Guard vessels
would once again carry fire arms to protect
national security and it would not violate
the Rush-Bagot Treaty. More about the Rush-Bagot
Treaty can also be found on the Coast
Guard's website at
www.uscgd9safetyzones.com.
There are many concerns that have been
raised from the property owners on the lake,
the general public, environmental groups and
businesses that rely on the Great Lakes.
They are as follows:
First, the Coast Guard and the Department
of Homeland Security made a huge blunder
when they did not initially publicize their
plans to carry out these training sessions.
As a result, lakeshore property owners were
not aware in advance that there would be
live fire training sessions only 5 miles
from their shore and neither were local
government officials. This has caused
outrage amongst some of the local residents.
Lakeshore property owners (and the public)
certainly have a right to know about this
sort of activity prior to it taking place,
not after.
Some environmentalists groups raise
concerns that the amount of lead from the
spent bullets that will remain at the bottom
of the lake will be numerous. They claim it
will be harmful to the aquatic environment
and poison aquatic species. Some also claim
it could be transferred to humans from the
fish that we eat. While others say that it
is not harmful to the food chain unless it
is ingested by aquatic species.
The most obvious concern of course, is
safety related. It may be possible that an
uninformed boater would enter a safety zone
during a training exercise. However, the
Coast Guard claims a spotter boat will be
assigned during training and radar will
certainly pick up any other boats in the
area.
The vast majority of proposed safety
zones are located only 5 miles from shore.
The proximity of fire training that close to
the shore is also a concern to lakeshore
property owners on those lakes. Local
fishing charters claim the safety zones are
located on some of the best fishing areas
and will hinder their business.
Canada has also now expressed concerns
about safety and the environment and is
watching the debate closely. The US and
Canada will give official comments after the
November hearings have been held.