The National Rifle Association is asking members to call the Illinois Senate Environment and Conservation Committee ahead of a hearing on a bill that would ban lead ammunition in state parks and protected natural areas.
The panel is expected to take up Senate Bill 1985 on Thursday.
“There has been no sound scientific evidence stating that traditional ammunition is having a population-level impact on any species in Illinois,” the NRA says on its website. “To ensure proper conservation of species, wildlife must be managed with a fact-based approach.
Federal law banned the use of lead shot in waterfowl hunting in 1991, and many hunters have already switched to non-toxic shot. A 2008 survey showed that 40 percent of pheasant hunters changed the shot in their shells voluntarily.
If passed, SB 1985 would make it “unlawful to use lead ammunition to take wildlife in State parks or natural areas.” Lead ammunition is defined “as a projectile containing one or more percent lead by weight.”
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