Tomorrow, Wednesday, March 4, HB 1067, which requires the Department of Natural Resources to phase out traditional lead-based ammunition for hunting all game species by July 1, 2029, is scheduled for a hearing in the House Environment and Transportation Committee.
Use the Take Action button to email the committee and urge them to vote “NO” on HB 1067. While proponents claim this is about conservation, the reality is that HB 1067 creates unnecessary barriers for hunters and threatens the funding that we, the sportsmen, pay to support Maryland’s conservation and wildlife.
The Impact on Maryland’s Conservation Funding
Last year, Maryland hunters generated over $15 million in conservation funding through a combination of license fees and federal excise taxes on firearms and ammunition, also known as the Pitman-Robertson Fund. The Department of Natural Resources relies heavily on this dedicated revenue to manage our wildlife resources. HB 1067 will negatively affect this funding. Is the state prepared to cover the resulting funding shortfall to protect and conserve our natural resources?
Why We Must Oppose HB 1067
- Threat to Conservation Funding: By making hunting more expensive and difficult, this bill will inevitably lead to a decline in hunter participation. This means fewer hunting licenses sold and a reduction in federal excise tax revenue that funds the state’s restoration and conservation programs.
- A Financial Burden on Hunters: Non-lead alternatives are significantly more expensive, often 25% higher in cost, which disproportionately impacts youth and low-income hunters.
- Functionality Issues: Many traditional firearms, including certain muzzleloaders and older rifle calibers, do not have viable non-lead alternatives. This bill effectively renders those firearms obsolete for hunting.
- Extreme Animal Activism: This legislation is part of a broader strategy by animal rights extremists to make hunting so difficult and expensive that it eventually disappears.
- Unnecessary Mandates Over Science: There is no documented evidence that the use of lead ammunition by hunters has caused population-level declines in Maryland’s wildlife. We support incentive-based, voluntary programs rather than heavy-handed government bans.
How to Watch the Hearing
If you are unable to attend the hearing in person, you can watch online. On the day of the hearing, click the “Meetings” tab, and look for a red “Live!” camera icon next to the House Environment and Transportation Committee listing.
Stand Together for Maryland Sportsmen
Make sure you forward this to your family, friends, and fellow sportsmen and women and firearms owners. Now is not the time for the “silent majority” to stay home. Our opponents are organized, well-funded, and they are counting on us to stay on the sidelines. But when we stand together, we send an unmistakable message: Maryland’s sportsmen are the backbone of protecting and conserving our wildlife resources, and we will not be ignored.
The Sportsmen’s Alliance guarantees hunting, fishing, and trapping for the American sportsman now and forever. We’re there when sportsmen need us most. We are the only organization specifically created to protect the individual hunter, angler, and trapper – no matter the threat. We will never compromise when it comes to defending our way of life in the courts, in the legislatures, in the public square, and at the ballot box. We make this promise to the American sportsman: we will never give up and never give in while proudly securing our future against those seeking to destroy our values, beliefs, and traditions. Stay connected to the Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
