California, North Dakota, Missouri, New Jersey, and now Minnesota too? 
Lead Shot Ban Heads to Senate Floor in Minnesota!
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Please Make Your Voice Heard Today!The Senate Omnibus Game and Fish Bill, introduced by State Senator Satveer Chaudhary (DFL-50), will be heard on the Senate floor any day.
Senate File 3385 contains a harmful provision that would ban the use of lead shot for hunting small game on public lands in Minnesota. Lead alternatives are extremely expensive and have reduced capabilities, which would only increase wounding rates of game animals. There has been no science-based evidence that lead shot has been a problem in Minnesota.
As Senate File 3385 will be heard any day on the Senate floor, it is important that our opposition to this anti-hunting measure be known. Please contact State Senator Chaudhary, the bill sponsor, at (651) 296-4334 or email him at sen.satveer.chaudhary@senate.mn and respectfully urge him to make the necessary changes and remove the lead ban from Senate File 3385.
Speaking of North Dakota and the lead-in-venison scare, Holly, the NorCal Cazadora, forwarded me this well-written column from the Bingamham, NY Press and Sun Bulletin’ sports columnist, Dave Henderson. Here’s a little taste of Mr Henderson’s column.
I was personally devastated. If 100 random samples out of hundreds of thousands showed a 60 percent contamination rate, the possibilities are devastating. We’re looking at a conservation and health-threatening tsunami here.
Geesh, I eat 300 venison meals a year myself. But after the initial shock, I became skeptical. How would lead dust be detectable in the hindquarters of a lung-shot deer? Bloodshot meat or that around the bullet hole is routinely thrown away –certainly not grilled and eaten. How could more than half of the processed venison in any area possibly be contaminated by lead? It’s impossible, folks.
And, of course, California is still at it. At meetings tomorrow and Friday (April 10-11), the CA Fish and Game Commission will be holding a public meeting in Bodega Bay. On the agenda is a discussion of the lead ban, and how to certify ammo as “lead free” in order to determine which ammunition will be permitted under the ban. As most of us know, there is no lead-free rimfire ammo currently on the market. CCI will release their unleaded .22 wmr later in the year, but there are no options for the .22 lr or the .17 caliber rimfires.
CA hunters need to write or call the Fish and Game Commission to state your opposition to the lead ban, particularly to the inclusion of rimfire and shotgun ammo. Recommend an alternative approach, like a phased-in approach to getting rid of lead ammo. Contact information is located on the FGC website at: http://www.fgc.ca.gov
I’d also recommend contacting the ammunition manufacturers to see what they’re doing to provide unleaded ammo. Show them there’s some interest and a need… not that they don’t already see it, but advocacy from the customer will go a long ways toward keeping them moving toward solutions.
It’s not just the Condors, and it’s not just the “State of Fruits and Nuts,” California… the lead ammo issue is going to impact the entire country. As hunters and sportsmen, we need to get out ahead of this thing and make sure that our concerns and needs are properly taken into consideration as states begin to take further action. Change is inevitable. It’s up to us to make the change positive, or we can just let it be and hope for the best.
We see what that’s gotten us so far.
I knew this would spread throughout the states and that it was only a matter of time.
I am curious if there has been an independent study done on this as of yet? I’m not against changing ammo, and doing what needs to be done to help the wildlife population, I would just like to see all avenues crossed before moving on.
Do you know Phillip?