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By Fred Schulte, Center for Public Integrity ammo

Proposed legislation to regulate online purchases of ammunition and high-capacity magazines is bringing new attention to a growing cyberspace ammo market that has operated with little government oversight.

Under federal law, firearms dealers must obtain a federal license and keep records of their transactions, but there’s virtually no federal regulation of ammunition suppliers or sales —though there was prior to 1986.

By Myron Levin, FairWarning  ebillboard

A Swedish study has found that drivers take long gazes at electronic billboards, possibly raising the risk of highway crashes.

The new research has put the U.S. billboard industry into a defensive mode. In an effort to dismiss the findings, the industry’s top trade group quickly cited an unpublished U.S. government study to argue that the electronic displays pose no traffic safety hazard.

By Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica 

Chinese drywall

Chinese drywall

Last week, federal lawmakers trumpeted the passage of the Drywall Safety Act of 2012 as a bipartisan victory for thousands of homeowners harmed by contaminated drywall.

“This is a bill about protecting American families — their health and financial well-being,” said Rep. Scott Rigell, R-Va., the measure’s primary sponsor in the House. “It is up to Congress to ensure that preventative standards are in place so no American family is faced with the hardship and heartache from contaminated drywall ever again.”

But the bill doesn’t actually set preventative standards.