#LEGALIZEMAGNETS

After a string of successes, the Magnet Ban is on it's way back. With it, a revived petition.

While the war on magnets isn't the most important war in our world today, the general public is woefully under-represented in the war on magnets. At it's core, this is a war on warnings and stolen consent.

To be clear, this branch of the Federal Government isn't asking for regulation in the manner similar to consumer vehicles (age 16+), tobacco (18+), rifles (18+), handguns (21+) or alcohol (21+). The 2022 recreational magnet bans sales of all small high powered magnets to adults, except for: "research and educational products, or those intended for commercial or industrial purposes, if they are not also intended for amusement or jewelry."
In other words, even if the magnets are for educational or industrial use, they are prohibited for all ages if amusement is involved. Literally regulating the fun out of magnets. 

In the war on magnets, both sides agree that:

• High-power magnets are relatively dangerous if swallowed.
• Loose High-power magnets are not toys for kids and should not be sold as such.
• There are too many high-power magnet ingestions, and action is necessary.

The difference is that one side insists that:

• Unless recreational high-power magnets are prohibited to all ages, they will result in a torrent of injuries. 
• No degree of warnings, sales restrictions or packaging can effectively warn adults to prevent the swallowing of magnets.
• The magnet injury rate correlates with the presence of an all ages ban, and not CPSC's selective dereliction of enforcement.
• Usefulness and utility is decided by regulators and lobbyists, and high-power magnets have little utility.

The CPSC is a necessary organization in the protection of consumers. But by pushing for an unfair ban that's drastically inconsistent with the hazards of other products, the CPSC wastes federal tax dollars, and dilutes the strength, power, and reputation of their organization. Not only do they endanger a product with proven educational, therapeutic and artistic benefits, they endanger your rights and liberties.

Furthermore, a more than reasonable alternative lies in ASTM-F3458-21 which is a voluntary standard that requires child resistant packaging and warnings more vigorous than cigarettes and fireworks combined. I urge the CPSC to avoid a non-consensual prohibition on recreational magnets for Adults, and work on limiting sales to those who can use magnets safely.

The CPSC may have the best intentions in trying to protect kids, but a one size fits all ban is not the right way to go about it. The lack of nuance in their black-and-white consideration of magnet policy is exactly how we ended up pushing domestic manufactures out and injuries up.

I am calling for the reversal of attempts made by the CPSC to remove recreational magnet spheres for adults entirely from the retail market, especially when an alternative could be adopted and enforced: ASTM-F3458-21. Just as is the case with fireworks, swimming pools, and balloons, the solution to the safety problem is education and not a prohibition. When it comes to product safety, every one of the links is responsible: companies, parents, children.

- Shihan Qu

MagnetSafety.org Director