Interesting turns in Minnesota right now, according to this latest article on TwinCities.com.
As I read the article, Sen. Satveer Chaudhary wants to take a look at ALL of the facts as his committee takes a look at the risks of lead ammunition to both humans and wildlife, before deciding if legislation is necessary to control the use of lead ammo in the field.
“If there is a reasonable issue, we will address it, but it will be based on the facts,” he said. “I want to go over all studies that are out there.”
Now that sounds like common sense… a rare commodity in today’s political realm. What’s going on here? As I reported a little while back, MN State representative, Sandy Masin, has already said she’ll be pushing for legislation to restrict or control the use of lead ammunition among Minnesota hunters. Chaudhary believes her reaction is premature, especially before all of the facts and data have been reviewed.
According to the article, Chaudharry understands that hunters are skeptical of the recent claims that lead ammo represents a threat to either wildlife or humans, and pushing legislation against lead ammo at this point will only lead to a conflict between hunters and anti-hunters. That may not be necessary, and honestly, I agree with him.
Chaudhary, a deer hunter who has used lead bullets, said sportsmen want to “do the right thing” if there is a proven threat to human health or wildlife populations from lead ammunition. But he said many sportsmen worry the lead issue is an effort by animal-rights groups to restrict hunting. The Humane Society of the United States has proposed a nationwide ban on lead hunting bullets.
“Understandably, their hackles are raised,” Chaudhary said of hunters’ concerns. “I absolutely want to avoid a political slugfest between hunters and anti-hunters.”
It makes sense, and again, I can’t argue with his logic. CA hunters have already seen the results of turning this issue into a political power play. It became an all-or-nothing discussion, and we ended up with a ridiculously restrictive lead ammunition ban in a large part of the state. The rest of the country needs legislators like Chaudhary who are willing to insist that the facts and data support any legislative decisions.
So far, his logical approach seems to be the standard. As stated in the article, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is not willing to take any restrictive steps at this time.
Minnesota DNR officials say they won’t propose any lead-bullet restrictions, believing hunters can assess the risks of using lead bullets. They also say that though some bald eagles may die from eating carcasses containing lead fragments, Minnesota’s eagle population is strong and not threatened by lead bullets.
If politics could only make this much sense all the time!
Oh, and while I’m here… how about a preview of a new lead-free .22 Long Rifle (LR) and .22 Winchester Magnum from Winchester!
I don’t have a lot of information on this one yet, although you can see the initial information on the Winchester Ammo website. Bottom line is, though, there may be hope on the horizon for CA hunters who enjoy shooting ground squirrels with rimfire ammo. According to the website, the ammo will be available in March of 2009.
I’ll be learning more about this new ammo at the SHOT Show next week in Orlando, FL, and I guarantee I’ll be providing you all with the latest and greatest.
God help us is a politician decides to use some common horse sense. What’s next, dogs playing with cats? Cubs fans hugging Redbird fans?