A study released just a few weeks ago revealed that by humongous margins, Americans overwhelmingly support hunting and recreational sport shooting activities. This week, a U.S. House of Representatives committee took action and advanced NSSF-priority legislation that would protect the ability of Americans to participate in these cherished American traditions.

In January, U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.) introduced the Protecting Hunters and Anglers Act, cleverly numbered H.R. 556, and NSSF celebrated the news. The bill would prohibit U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) officials from banning the use of traditional lead ammunition and fishing tackle absent approval by the applicable state fish and wildlife department and sound scientific proof that lead ammunition and tackle is primarily causing wildlife population decline.

The bill represents a legislative effort to blunt actions by anti-hunting, anti-Second Amendment and anti-science administration officials, like those in the previous President Joe Biden administration, from banning or restricting the use of traditional ammunition on large swaths of public lands utilized by hunters and recreational target shooters. After all, it is hunters who contribute the most to maintaining these lands for the greater public use.

Thanks to Rep. Wittman’s leadership in introducing the bill and to House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), the Protecting Hunters and Anglers Act is one step closer to becoming law of the land.

Sponsor’s Support
Last year, despite hyperbole from anti-science, anti-hunting Representatives like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) – who claimed in committee that traditional lead ammunition “poisons everything” – Rep. Wittman’s bill passed the full House. The bill hit a roadblock in the Democratically-controlled Senate. Fast-forward to this week and the landscape is different.

The U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources held a “markup” hearing where the members debated and voted to advance several pieces of legislation. Among the bills receiving attention was Rep. Wittman’s H.R. 556. In his remarks, Rep. Wittman called out the previous administration and its supporters for their actions.

“I worked as a scientist for the Virginia Department of Health for 27 years. And under the federal statute and state statutes, I was required to gather data before I made a decision about whether areas should be open or closed for the safe taking of shellfish, crustacea and others,” Rep. Wittman stated. “So, what we’re saying now is we have a different standard. We just carte blanche close areas with no data, without any direct link to the use of lead, whether it’s fishing, tackle, or ammo, and closing these areas for access for sportsmen. It just astounds me that it’s okay in one area to use this.”

He also made sure to remember the big picture of what this effort is about. A “Don’t miss the forest for the trees” moment.

“Another important part of this bill is to remember that this is about access to the people that own this land. This land doesn’t belong to members of Congress. It belongs to the citizens of the United States,” Rep. Wittman remarked. “They paid for this land. They pay for maintaining this land. They pay for the staff that are on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agencies. And yet we’re saying nope, nope. We’re gonna be high and mighty. We’re gonna say, you don’t get access to that because we wanna place some arbitrary and capricious requirement there that says we can close it.”

Committee Chairman Shout-Out
Also vocalizing his support for his colleague’s legislation, House Natural Resources Chairman Westerman spoke and even gave NSSF a shout-out for following the science and working with Members, staff and the committee to advance this critical legislation.

“In 2023, the Biden administration issued a misguided final rule banning lead ammunition and tackle on eight national wildlife refuges for hunting and fishing,” the chairman reminded. “In 2021, the National Shooting Sports Foundation concluded that lead-free hunting ammunition is on average 24.66 percent more expensive than lead ammunition. Increasing the cost of these basic implements could easily turn hunting and fishing from pastimes enjoyed by many across the economic spectrum into hobbies only available to the wealthy.”

Chairman Westerman also summarized why he believes the bill is critical and thanked Rep. Wittman for his leadership.

“Mr. Wittman’s legislation will prevent a government-imposed financial barrier to outdoor recreation and keep hunting and fishing accessible for sportsmen and women across the country,” the chairman stated. “Today, our committee took steps to advance a wide-ranging slate of bills that will ensure we follow science and commonsense to manage America’s rich wildlife and help support outdoor access for hunters and anglers.”

Ultimately, the Protecting Hunters and Anglers Act was voted out of committee by a bipartisan vote of 23-17, with Democratic Reps. Jared Golden (D-Maine) and Adam Gray (D-Calif.) voting in support of the bill. Hopefully, the bill will move swiftly to a vote on the House floor.

Still Waiting on the Science
The good news is that the bill advanced and enjoys some tailwinds given the makeup of Congress on Capitol Hill. Supporters should take nothing for granted. Detractors remain and plenty of anti-science Members demonstrated they’d still fight against Rep. Wittman’s commonsense bipartisan proposal.

Take, for example, Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), who in opposing the bill spouted off emotional gun control arguments devoid of any scientific data.

“Let’s be clear about what this bill does. It would handcuff federal land managers from protecting wildlife from lead poisoning,” Ranking Member Huffman suggested. “The bill would require them to prove that wildlife population decline is, quote unquote, primarily caused by lead ammunition in specific land units. The bill is not about protecting hunters. It’s about protecting the gun and ammunition manufacturers.”

Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.) offered her thoughts, too, opposing the bill.

“Our hunters and our fisher and our anglers also deserve to have safe meat to, um, eat,” the congresswoman stated. “And we cannot catch fish and deer anywhere near as easily as we do our crustaceans and shellfish that do not move anywhere near as quickly.”

Rep. Van Hoyle (D-Ore.) also added in a science-less opinion, stating, “The legislation, in my opinion, doesn’t take the right approach. It could ultimately harm the very wildlife population that hunters and anglers work to conserve. And the science is clear. Lead ammunition and fish tackle can poison wildlife.”

During the previous administration, Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) questioned Biden administration about where the data came from that supported their decision to close off opportunities to the public due to traditional lead ammunition. Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) did the same in a committee hearing, asking “So were there studies done to come to those decisions?“

The problem with these statements by those who oppose Rep. Wittman’s Protecting Hunters and Anglers Act, including those by Reps. Huffman, Dexter and Hoyle, is that they are opinion and not based on sound science. Their comments show these members of the Natural Resources Committee lack even a basic understanding of the scientific underpinnings of wildlife management.

Accusations of denying science fall flat when studies conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2008 found that blood-lead levels in hunters consuming wild game harvested using traditional ammunition were actually lower than individuals in the same community that didn’t consume wild game. The CDC study showed that no hunters using traditional ammunition had elevated blood-lead levels even approaching the threshold of concern.

And what’s more, data from the European Shooting Sports Forum in 2021 revealed that if a near-total ban on lead ammunition were instituted there, approximately one-in-four hunters would completely stop participating in hunting.

Jump back to this week’s committee hearing and the anti-hunting, anti-science talking points are the same coming from those who oppose this commonsense bill. And we’re all still waiting on their answers.

— Larry Keane

Lawrence G. Keane is the Senior Vice President and General Counsel for NSSF, The Firearm Industry Trade Association.