How can you dispose of old shot gun shells safely?  These have been
sitting in a damp basement for about twenty years, and I just found
them.. Are they safe to handle?  Should I just call local police?

Dear mtmk01-ga;

Your question is right up my alley. In my own profession as a law
enforcement evidence technician one of my responsibilities is to seize
or accept dangerous materials from the public for disposal. In fact,
in my area I find myself doing this about once a week.

Most law enforcement agencies have a policy in place that provides for
the collection and destruction of dangerous materials such as
ammunition, biohazards, chemicals, etc. Call your local law
enforcement agency and explain that you have some old DAMAGED AND
POSSIBLY UNSTABLE ammunition that you would like to turn in for
disposal. They will, most likely, accept it and may even come out and
collect it directly from your home.

If, for whatever reason, they do not have a means of disposing of
ammunition try calling your local Sheriff?s Department. If that fails,
call the local fire department and ask them to come out and examine
the ammunition as a potential fire hazard. When they arrive they may
collect the ammunition or, at the very least, be able to tell you whom
you can call. As a last resort you may even contact the nearest
military base or your local National Guard unit, who may have an
Explosive Ordnance Detachment (EOD) who are trained to dispose of that
kind of material. Finally, if all else fails, you might be able to
call a local sporting goods store, firing range or pawnshop and make
some inquiries about your possible options. Since they also have to
destroy ammunition from time-to-time they may very well know of
someone who is willing to collect and destroy the ammunition for you.

I should also caution you that old, damp ammunition can be unstable
depending on the type of ammunition it is and the kinds of primers
they have. It is PROBABLY safe to gently gather the ammunition up and
carefully place it in a sturdy container (like a box or plastic bag
that will not break open and spill the contents) but it is unwise to
shovel it up, toss it in a box or otherwise handle it roughly. If
possible you should wait and let the person who responds to your
request collect the ammunition for you.

I hope you find that my answer exceeds your expectations. If you have
any questions about my research please post a clarification request
prior to rating the answer. Otherwise I welcome your rating and your
final comments and I look forward to working with you again in the
near future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.

Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga ? Google Answers Researcher



INFORMATION SOURCES

Information provided was a result of my own professional experience in
this specific area