Coast Guard wants live fire excercises on Great Lakes

The U.S. Coast Guard wants to establish 34 "safety zones" on the five Great Lakes so their crews can practice firing "machine guns, rifles and small 9mm guns." The Coast Guard says that the training is necessary for combating terrorist and intercepting smugglers. Understandably, the proposed zones have upset ferry boat owners, fishing enthusiasts and environmentalist. (USA Today points out that most of those groups missed the Aug. 1 call for public comment published in the Federal Register.) The Coast Guard promises that boaters and shipping companies will be warned away from the zones when live-fire exercises are being conducted. The proposed plan calls for fourteen zones on Lake Michigan, seven on Superior, six on Huron, four on Erie and three on Lake Ontario.