Iowa: Fight Over Ammunition Ban for Dove Hunting Reaches Critical Point!

Act Today to Stop a Handful of Legislators from Forcing Iowa to Follow California’s Radical Example!

Please contact your state Senator today! The Entire Country is Watching!

The battle over a potential lead shot ban for dove hunting continues to rage in Des Moines.  This issue is far bigger than many Second Amendment supporters in the Hawkeye state realize. This is not an attack on just the newly-established dove season, but a direct attack on both hunters and shooters. 

House Joint Resolution 2001, legislation that would prevent Iowa from being the first state to impose such an unfounded and comprehensive ban on lead ammunition, has already passed in the state House of Representatives by an overwhelming, bipartisan 73 to 27 vote.  It now faces its biggest hurdle in the state Senate.  House members showed the courage of their convictions and now it's time that we make sure the state Senate does the same!

There are reports that the anti-hunting and anti-gun extremists in the Senate majority caucus are working tirelessly to influence their leadership and prevent a Senate floor vote on HJR 2001.  If they succeed, Iowa will be the first state in the country to impose a statewide ban on the use of traditional ammunition.  This would set a terrible precedent and the country is watching.  If a state in the Heartland can buckle under the pressures of raw emotion, the days of science dictating wildlife management and hunting regulations in America may be numbered.  This is music to the ears of anti-hunting zealots like Wayne Pacelle and others at the radical Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) but it should strike fear in the core of every hunter and gun owner.

Our opponents always believed they had states like California, Massachusetts and New Jersey well within reach of their agenda but now they have Iowa one canceled floor vote away from being their prize.  It is imperative that you call your state Senator today and ask that he or she do everything possible to secure a floor vote on HJR 2001.  If a vote is scheduled, science and true principles of wildlife conservation will certainly prevail, as they did in the state House. To find your state Senator and his or her contact information, please click here. 

Here are five reasons why the use of traditional ammunition should NOT be banned:

• No scientific studies regarding traditional ammunition have been shown any population-level impacts on doves or other species. In fact, doves are the most popular and abundant game bird hunted in America with population levels at all-time highs.  Although ban advocates have recently focused on bald eagles to enhance emotional appeal, eagle populations are flourishing throughout the country as well.
• The price of non-traditional ammunition with similar performance characteristics is significantly higher and will keep many hunters from taking part in the dove season, especially in these dire economic times.  As lead bans are imposed, additional stresses will be placed on the supply of alternative substances and prices will increase even further. 
• Last year, the seven appointed members of the state Natural Resources Commission (NRC) flagrantly usurped the authority of the state legislature by imposing a ban on the use of lead shot for dove hunting.  State legislators had an extensive floor debate on the same traditional ammunition ban and overwhelmingly rejected it during the passage of the dove bill.
• Remember, no state in the country - even those where hunting is far less part of the state's heritage - has ever imposed a statewide ban on the use of traditional ammunition for any purpose.

• Iowa’s hunters should be afforded the same opportunity as hunters in all six of its border states.  There are no traditional ammunition bans in Iowa’s neighboring states and wildlife populations are healthy.  Emotion needs to be set aside and science needs to be allowed to control wildlife management practices.

This legislation has been inactive since the beginning of the month and needs your support to gain the traction it needs.  If HJR 2001, or its senate companion SJR 2001, are not passed, the lead ban originally proposed by the state Natural Resources Commission will automatically go into effect for the next dove hunting season.  We cannot allow this to happen! Again, please contact your state Senator TODAY and urge him or her to act in the best interests of science-based wildlife management and hunters and sportsmen across the Hawkeye state and pass HJR 2001 as soon as possible!

To find your state Senator and his or her contact information, please click here.