8/30/2010

The NRA has successfully halted the proposed ban on lead ammunition with the help and support of gun owners across the nation. Cam Edwards spoke with NRA-ILA Manager of Hunting Policy Darren LaSorte who explains that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) denied the petition to ban lead ammunition in accordance with the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976, which exempts cartridges and shells from regulation by the EPA.

LaSorte said that while the NRA’s argument was sound, the EPA’s decision was still a pleasant surprise under the current administration.

8/26/10

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is accepting comments on the petition by the Center for Biological Diversity to ban all traditional ammunition under the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976.

If the EPA approves this petition, all lead-core ammunition will be banned for hunting and target shooting. The EPA must accept or reject this petition by Nov. 1, 2010.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation has released some facts about lead ammunition and this petition to help people make an informed decision.

• • There is no scientific evidence that the use of traditional ammunition is having an adverse impact on wildlife populations.
• • Wildlife management is the proper jurisdiction of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services and the 50 state wildlife agencies.
• • A 2008 study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on blood lead levels of North Dakota hunters confirmed that consuming game harvested with traditional ammunition does not pose a human health risk.
• • A ban on traditional ammunition would have a negative impact on wildlife conservation. The federal excise tax that manufacturers pay on the sale of the ammunition (11 percent) is a primary source of wildlife conservation funding. The bald eagle's recovery, considered to be a great conservation success story, was made possible and funded by hunters using traditional ammunition—the very ammunition organizations like the CBD are now demonizing.
• • Recent statistics from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service show that from 1981 to 2006 the number of breeding pairs of bald eagles in the United States increased 724 percent. And much like the bald eagle, raptor populations throughout the United States are soaring.

There are three ways to make your voice heard on this issue.

• • Submit comment online to the EPA
• • Contact the Head of the EPA at: Lisa Jackson; Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW; Washington, DC 20460; (202) 564-4700.
• • Contact your Senators and Representatives and ask them to stop the EPA from banning ammunition.