Making Keys Illegal - Legislators hard at work

[BOP]

Enforcement coming soon:

The state isn’t really enforcing a new law yet, but it will start as of July, and a lot of small businesses are hoping to unlock a change before lawmakers go home.

A 2023 law banned the sale of lead in products like jewelry, toys and cosmetics.
The ban included keys, but the people who make keys say there’s no way to do it without a little lead.

"Approximately 75% of all products that we stock have become prohibited for sale," said Rob Justen of Doyle Security Products.

Lead is the key to staying in business for Justen’s business.

But a Minnesota law could lock them out soon.

"It really does make it illegal to sell or replace the very keys that Minnesotans use every day, your house keys, your car keys, your apartment key, your boat key," said Bruce Nustad of the Minnesota Retailers Association.

Businesses ‘locked’ out of key to success unless Minnesota lawmakers act

The keys in your pocket are illegal to replace in Minnesota.

www.fox9.com

 

[vraiblonde]

Those wacky Democrats!

 

[Kyle]

C'mon you insufferable Nazis.... Why can't we have non-gmo, recyclable, plant based keys and save the planet?

 

[Sneakers]

I did not know why lead was used to make keys, googled it. It's apparently just used to make the metal softer.

Man can cut and carve diamonds. Why is 100% brass an issue?

Lead is sometimes added to brass keys to make the metal softer and easier to cut and grind into the shape needed for individual locks. This is because brass, without lead, can be quite hard and difficult to work with when creating keys. While lead-free keys are possible and some keys, like those for cars, are made of steel with trace amounts of lead, many brass keys contain 1-2% lead for this purpose

 

[Kyle]

I did not know why lead was used to make keys, googled it. It's apparently just used to make the metal softer.

Man can cut and carve diamonds. Why is 100% brass an issue?

Makes the brass less brittle so the cutting operation is smoother and less susceptible to errors?

I know brass has a habit of cracking or breaking.