Minnesota hunters and shooters – another attempt is being made to enact a total ban on the use of lead bullets for deer hunting in Minnesota. House Bill 1356, as introduced on Feb 19, 2017 would totally ban lead bullets for deer hunting, statewide, on both public AND private land!
I suspect the usual tactics are being used here, suggesting that large numbers of eagles and other predators are ingesting lead from eating wounded deer that escape hunters. It is important to tell your legislators that there is NO scientific evidence that this type of lead ingestion has any impact on the overall populations of eagles or other animals.
Contact your state representatives and request that they vote against this bill should it come to a floor vote.
Even if you are not a deer hunter, ALL hunters and anglers should be wary of any proposed lead ban because more bans that impact fishing and other forms of recreation would surely follow.
Here’s Safari Club International’s legislative action alert:
Please contact your State Representative and urge him/her to oppose House Bill 1356 (H. 1356), which would ban lead-based ammunition for deer hunting throughout the state. Use SCI’s Action Center to find your Representative today!
Introduced on February 16, 2017 by Minnesota State Reps. Jamie Becker-Finn, Mary Kunesh-Podein, Susan Allen, Pete Fischer and Karen Clark, H. 1356 would ban the use and possession of traditional lead-based ammunition for deer hunting during the state’s regular firearms season. The proposed ban, if enacted, would start on January 1, 2019.
This is the second time in a decade that the Minnesota legislature has proposed such a ban. In 2008, a similar legislative attempt to ban lead-based ammunition ultimately failed. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has also promoted various bans on lead-based ammunition in the past.
Currently, there is a lack of scientific evidence demonstrating that lead shot has a population-level impact on bird populations. Consequently, sportsmen and women should retain their freedom of choice in ammunition, including for traditional lead-based ammunition and non-lead ammunition alternatives, to the extent they are available.
Use SCI’s Action Center to urge your Representative to oppose H. 1356!
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