Lead ammunition is a dangerous and unnecessary product in today's fish and game industry. Public health advocates and environmentalists agree that there are serious health risks in lead bullets. Unlike ammunition made of copper or steel, lead bullets break up and can end up in our food, water, or soil. Lead fragments can end up as far away as 18 inches from its intended target. It is also nearly impossible to remove it entirely from an animal that is shot by it. It is estimated that annually 10 to 20 million non-target animals die from lead poisoning, and individuals who consume meat from an animal killed by a lead bullet are at an increased risk for lead exposure.

As of April 2015, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had approved 13 non-toxic alternative shot materials. These alternatives are also just as effective as lead. A multi-year, peer-reviewed study by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department found that in dove hunting, lead-free shot was equivalent to lead shot. In Arizona, the Game and Fish Department conducted a survey that found that 80% of hunters rated the performance of lead-free shot as better than or equal to lead shot. Even the U.S. Army is beginning to make the switch, and "get the lead out" of many of its bullets.

In 1991, the U.S. mandated a ban on the use of lead when hunting waterfowl. This ban lowered mallard deaths from lead poisoning by 64% in only six years. It reduced lead contamination and saved approximately 1.4 million ducks every year. It also lowered the price of lead-free ammunition, such as steel, as the demand for it rose.

Sign our petition today to help protect our natural resources and our public health by pushing for an end to lead ammunition in the hunting industry!