Minnesota Legislature Introduces Legislation to Protect the Use of Traditional Ammunition

Late last year, your NRA led the charge in getting gun owners and sportsmen across The North Star State to contact the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) to put a stop to their agenda to ban lead ammunition in Minnesota.

As previously reported, the MDNR held a public forum last week to take public comment on their flawed proposal.  Despite receiving feedback from thousands of Minnesotans who actively use public land for hunting, it has become clear that the MDNR is determined to impose this ban despite a lack of scientific justification and the undue burden the regulations would place on Minnesota’s sportsmen and women.  The MDNR is determined to force their misguided agenda through in the coming weeks.

In response, tomorrow, Wednesday, March 16, state Representative Tom Hackbarth will introduce a bill in the Minnesota House of Representatives with Revisor # 16-6715 that will stop this agenda by prohibiting the MDNR from implementing any rule that bans the use of lead shot in Minnesota. 

A public hearing has been scheduled for tomorrow at 2:45pm.  It is vital that a large number of gun owners and hunters are present at this hearing to show their support for this bill.  Meeting details can be found below.  If you are unable to attend the public hearing, we encourage you to please contact members of the House Mining & Outdoor Recreation Policy Committee to voice your strong support for this bill.  Please click the “Take Action” button below to contact the committee members!

Mining & Outdoor Recreation Policy Committee Meeting
Minnesota State Office Building, Room 10
Wednesday, March 16th, at 2:45pm

The MDNR’s proposed regulatory mandate for WMAs in the farmland zone would impose a significant burden on many of the state’s 70,000 pheasant hunters who hunt in these areas, as well as sportsmen and women who hunt wild turkey, ruffed grouse, and other small game species on what amounts to approximately 600,000 acres of public hunting land.

As we have seen with attempts to ban the use of lead ammunition in other states, arguments in favor of these bans are based on faulty science.  It is important to fully understand the facts concerning traditional hunting ammunition so Minnesotans are not misled into adopting a ban that could negatively impact the rich hunting heritage of Minnesota.  There has been no sound scientific evidence stating that traditional ammunition is having a population-level impact on any species in Minnesota.  To ensure proper conservation of species, wildlife must be managed with a fact-based approach.

This bill would help ensure that this unsound proposal is stopped.  Once again, please attend the committee meeting tomorrow and click the “Take Action” button above to contact members of the House Mining & Outdoor Recreation Policy Committee with your strong support for Representative Tom Hackbarth’s bill with Revisor # 16-6715!