Republican Lawmakers Criticize NPS Ammunition Ban Proposal

October 9, 2009
by Personal Liberty News Desk

A group of 13 U.S. senators sent a letter to Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar complaining about the National Park Service’s (NPS) attempts to ban the use of traditional ammunition in parks that allow hunting.

The signatories, who are all Republicans, allege the ban will have a negative effect on hunters, the economy and wildlife populations.

"Especially in these difficult economic times, this action will discourage people from hunting and fishing and decrease revenue into the Pittman-Robertson fund that funds state conservation efforts," the senators stated in the letter.

Their move was praised by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), a trade association for the industry, which called the ban "arbitrary, over-reactive and not based on science," and voiced concerns over the NPS making "unilateral actions" to control gun use.

Earlier this year the NPS banned the use of traditional lead ammunition for park personnel who cull sick and wounded animals, and announced it was considering extending the ban to all hunters in U.S. parks. The proposal stems from NPS concerns over studies that have suggested lead bullet fragments in game meat could cause lead poisoning in humans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.

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