Rumor Check: Did Obama Close a Lead Plant in Order to Enact ‘Backdoor’ Gun Control?

Photo Credit: Getty ImagesDid the White House shutter the country’s last primary lead smelting plant in Herculaneum, Mo., in a sneaky attempt by to enact “backdoor” gun control and quietly take aim at the gun industry as some people, including former Rep. Allen West, have suggested?

The short answer: Not exactly.

But as is the case with many of these “fact check” stories, this requires some explanation. So let’s start at the beginning.

THE CLOSED MISSOURI FACILITY

The Doe Run Company’s primary lead smelting facility in Herculaneum, Mo., which has been in operation since 1892, will close its doors by the end of 2013, according to a report in The Southern Illinoisan, which was published in November but has gained new life recently.

The company said in a statement on its website that it decided to close the facility it would cost too much to install the “pollution control technologies” required to reduce sulfur dioxide and lead emissions as mandated by the Clean Air Act.

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