Daines, Colleagues Stand With Sportsmen, Introduce Bill to Stop the Ban of Traditional Ammo & Tackle
Press Release
U.S. Senator Steve Daines lead a group of 22 of his 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.
"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. Not only would this affect our state agencies' revenue but it's also unfair to sportsmen who can't access or afford lead alternatives and depend on hunting and fishing," 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 spring, FWS entered into settlement negotiations with activist organizations over a lawsuit regarding the use of traditional ammunition and lead on over 3 million acres of federal land. Daines led a group of his colleagues 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 earlier this year.
This bill also comes one week after FWS published a rule that, while expanding access to hunting and fishing at certain wildlife refuges, prohibited the use of lead ammunition and fishing tackle.
Senators John Thune (S.D.), Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.), John Barrasso (Wyo.), Jim Risch (Idaho), Mike Crapo (Idaho), Bill Cassidy (La.), Rick Scott (Fla.), Mike Braun (Ind.), Dan Sullivan (Ala.), Roger Marshall (Kan.), Kevin Cramer (N.D.), Mike Rounds (S.D.), Jim Inhofe (Okla.), Cynthia Lummis (Wyo.), Tom Cotton (Ark.), John Hoeven (N.D.), Thom Tillis (N.C.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (Miss.), Roger Wicker (Miss.), Deb Fischer (Neb.), Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.) and Todd Young (Ind.) joined Daines' bill.
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