Not sure about my Kool Aid, but maybe whatever you’re sipping on over there has impacted your reading comprehension.

This isn’t about swallowing anybody’s lies. It’s about how to move forward in the face of a rising tide of public opinion. It’s about recognizing exactly what’s on the table, and deciding how to make the most palatable meal out of it.

I’ve said this so many times before, it’s kinda getting stale, but I’ll repeat it once again…

Pointing out the obvious doesn’t change a thing. It sure doesn’t make it go away.

It doesn’t take a heck of a lot of intelligence to realize that there are many people and organizations out there who are “out to get” hunters. Pretty much any idiot can see that those people are not above manipulating the truth and playing on emotion over fact. A big part of the lead ammo issue is nothing more than a hobgoblin, created to drive public opinion… and it’s worked.

There is no question that anti-hunters are taking advantage of every opportunity and angle to attack our sport. The lead ammo ban has certainly become a useful tool.

But there’s a lot of propaganda and misinformation coming from the pro-gun/pro-hunting side too. Lots of folks are serving “Kool-aid” these days, and it’s easy to see who’s been drinking it.

In the midst of all this are some facts, but they’re still emerging.

Do I, personally, think lead ammo presents a signficant environmental or human health risk? No.

However, it is plausible, and even likely, that lead ammo is having an impact of some sort on scavenger animals and birds. In my own opinion, this impact is nominal. Even so, I think every hunter should weigh this for themselves, and make a personal decision on whether or not to take measures to alleviate those impacts.

For myself, I’ve made some choices to mitigate my own “footprint” on the environment. That includes my choice to switch to “lead-safe” ammo, including bonded bullets and lead-free. If it makes no difference, then it makes no difference. But if it helps a tiny bit, then that’s a good thing. That satisfies my personal ethic.

And trust me, if I bought into the idea that lead ammo was a significant risk to humans or wildlife, I’d be waving the lead ban banner proudly over my head. I’m not afraid to speak up for what I think is right.

I am not here to tell anyone WHAT to think. I’m just here to tell you all to THINK.

They’re shooting themselves in the foot. Arizona hunters are working with their state; California hunters are pissed at our state. The last thing you want to do when you’re trying to effect change is piss of the people you’re asking to make the big changes.

We all know the potential risk involved with lead, but I still struggle – since lead has been used in projectiles for a number of years – with how all of the sudden it is under such scrutiny. And until I see some concrete evidence (I haven’t yet) that lead is really causing all the issues everyone is claiming, I think switching to non-lead ammunition needs to be a personal choice.

I agree with you too, that I think the NRA is too one-sided on this particular issue, and I think they need to give a little.

Great post as always. I like the posts that make the mind start to work.

I wanted to point out TWS’ #3, acknowledging the importance of the hunting and fishing communities. It is great to see stuff like that explicit, because, believe me, a person can catch a lot of flak for suggesting that there is some common ground, and that enviros should be encouraging more people to hunt and fish.