Environmental Groups Petition to Regulate Lead Ammunition When Hunting

In a campaign lead by the Center for Biological Diversity, 100 environmental organizations have petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to place a regulation on lead ammunition that would classify it as a toxic substance.

The groups argue that more than 75 species, including the California condor and bald eagle, are harmed by feeding on carcasses of animals that have been killed by hunters using lead ammunition. The petition was filed Tuesday, so the EPA has 60 days to decide if it agrees with the petition’s conclusions, if the agency does agree it will begin a rule-making process that will include public hearings and comments.

Countering the petition, gun-rights groups are pushing Congress to approve the Sportsmen’s Heritage Act, which would amend the Toxic Substances Control Act to specifically bar the EPA from regulating ammunition. These pro-gun groups cite a lack of scientific evidence showing that lead ammunition effects wildlife. A large study is under way at the California condor habitat, where lead ammunition was banned in 2008, to see if the ban has had an effect.

The petitioners have said they do not want to stop hunting, but they want to make it safer for humans and wildlife through the use of other less-toxic ammunition.

For updates, stay tuned to Guns.com. For more details on the petition seeking to ban lead ammunition find the original article at californiawatch.org. For all breaking gun news keep browsing Guns.com’s news feeds.

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