WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and Steve Daines (R-MT) led a group of 24 of their colleagues to introduce a bill to prohibit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from banning the use of traditional lead ammunition or tackle on public lands unless such action is supported by the best available science and state wildlife and fish agencies.

“Hunters and anglers take great care to conserve the very resources they devote countless hours to enjoying in the outdoors,” Boozman said. “In Arkansas, we know their responsible participation has helped extend the same opportunity for future generations to pursue. Ensuring we follow the science and allow sportsmen to maintain access to public lands in an affordable, commonsense way is the best path forward and I’m proud to join my colleagues in this effort.”

“Sportsmen are the original conservationists and play an important role in wildlife management—the last thing we should do is limit their access to public lands by implementing a blanket-ban on traditional ammo and tackle, reduce revenue for important state wildlife and conservation programs in the process,” Daines said. “Outdoor recreation is part of our Montana way of life—I’ll keep fighting to protect our hunting and fishing legacy and ensuring these decisions are guided by science, not politics.”

Last year, FWS entered into settlement negotiations with activist organizations over a lawsuit regarding the use of traditional ammunition and tackle on over three million acres of federal land. Boozman joined Daines in urging FWS Director Martha Williams not to cave in to activists’ calls to restrict the use of lead ammo and tackle on public lands. 

Senators Mike Braun (R-IN), Roger Wicker (R-MS), James Risch (R-ID), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Rick Scott (R-FL), John Barrasso (R-WY), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) John Hoeven (R-ND), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Tom Cotton (R-AR), John Thune (R-SD), Ted Budd (R-NC), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) are also cosponsors of the bill.

Numerous outdoor recreation advocacy organizations have endorsed the legislation. Here’s what they’re saying about it: 

“This legislation ensures that conservation policies are firmly rooted in sound scientific evidence and not driven by special-interest anti-hunting groups. Threats to wildlife conservation come not only from groups opposed to hunting, but also through policies that threaten the primary source of conservation funds.  The firearm and ammunition industry was directly responsible for $1.15 billion Pittman-Robertson taxes of the record-breaking $1.6 billion apportioned to the states through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for state conservation and education programs in 2022 alone. Federal rules that prohibit the use of traditional lead ammunition on National Wildlife Refuges are devoid of any scientific evidence that shows a causational linkage between the use of traditional ammunition and a population level decline of a species. These misguided policies only seek to divorce the firearm and ammunition industry, and the hunters that support these conservation funds by purchasing these products, from the wildlife and habitats these tax dollars are responsible for perpetuating.” – Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel 

“Decisions about the tackle anglers are allowed to use must be based on science, not emotion. This bill will uphold state fish and wildlife agencies as the proper authorities to make science-based determinations around lead fishing tackle.” – Glenn Hughes, President of the American Sportfishing Association

“It is critical in all areas but certainly in fish and wildlife that we follow sound scientific practices on a case-by-case basis. History has proven there are no better stewards and supporters of fish, game, conservation and our natural resources than anglers and hunters and we would not support anything that would endanger those resources. Frankly, these attempted ‘blanket’ bans are simply more federal overreach forced onto the American people to support someone’s woke pet project that accomplishes nothing more than to drive up costs in this economy to people who can least afford it and just want to go fishing. As supporters of fisheries conservation for 50 years, to our knowledge there is no tech paper, study or widespread support by front-line state fish and game agencies that are in support of these types of ‘one-size-fits-all’ bans by a federal agency. Certainly the nationwide membership of both The Bass Federation and The Walleye Federation, with chapters in 49 states and tens of thousands of conservation-minded members, do not support these bans that effect millions of acres of publicly-owned resources when it is purely political overreach and there is simply no science or data to support it.” – Robert Cartlidge President and CEO, The Bass Federation and The Walleye Federation 

“The Biden administration continues to push anti-hunting, anti-gun and even anti-fishing policies to please a small group of environmental extremists. Left unchecked, this type of federal overreach will have an untold impact on sportsmen with reduced conservation funding as a result, and this is why the senator’s continued fight on our behalf is critically important.” – Todd Adkins, vice president of government affairs at the Sportsmen’s Alliance

“This bill highlights the importance of basing policy decisions off of sound science while simultaneously working in concert with state resource agencies. It also works to maintain access for many recreational boaters and anglers, who choose to responsibly use lead tackle, or cannot find or afford suitable alternatives.” – Chad Tokowicz, Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, Government Relations Manager  

“It’s clear that promoting alternatives, instead of prohibiting traditional ammunition, is a more productive direction for lead policy. The Boone and Crockett Club is concerned about efforts to arbitrarily limit the use of lead ammunition and fishing tackle. Scientific inquiry is fundamental to how federal and state fish and wildlife agencies manage our natural resources. If an individual agency decides that lead exposure prevents them from meeting a population management objective for a particular species in a given area, it should be up to that agency to implement targeted solutions that do not unnecessarily restrict hunting, fishing or shooting opportunities.” – Tony Schoonen, Chief Executive Officer, Boone and Crockett Club

“Decision-making requirements founded in strong science and wildlife agency support are fundamental to the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. If lead-use changes must be made to benefit wildlife management programs, the NDA believes that any transition from lead to non-lead ammunition for hunting should be voluntary and incentive-based, focusing on educating hunters and shooters about non-lead alternatives and the efficacy and availability of non-lead ammunition.” – Nick Pinizzotto, President and CEO National Deer Association