Summary: The Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation and Safari Club International have officially intervened in a New Jersey lawsuit to defend hunters against a proposed statewide ban on traditional lead ammunition.
The Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation, in partnership with Safari Club International, has moved to intervene in a New Jersey lawsuit that seeks to ban the use of traditional lead ammunition for hunting in the Garden State.
Who is Behind the Push to Ban Traditional Hunting Ammunition?
Anti-hunting extremists, led by Wayne Pacelle, the disgraced former Humane Society of the United States executive who resigned amid sexual harassment allegations, have spent decades trying to ban hunting with traditional lead ammunition. After failing at the federal level, they have set their sights on the states.
Why Did the New Jersey Fish and Game Council Reject the Lead Ban?
In January, Pacelle’s group petitioned the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to ban hunting with lead ammunition. The petition was denied in April. In rejecting the petition, the Fish and Game Council favored a multi-faceted approach, focused on voluntary programs and education, rather than a forced statewide ban. The council also cited concerns over “current availability of lead-free hunting ammunition” in its denial.
The denial was appealed to the New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division, in June. Within the same month, the Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation and Safari Club International moved to intervene in the case.
“This is an issue we have fought for years on behalf of our members,” said Michael Jean, Litigation Counsel for Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation. “We testified before Congress on the issue in 2023 and were involved with the federal Sportsmen’s Heritage Act of 2012, which promoted hunting with lead ammunition on federal lands. This lawsuit is simply the next step in that fight.”
Issues like these are at the heart of the Sportsmen’s Alliance mission and we will continue to monitor this important issue. Don’t stand on the sidelines—join us as a member or a donor of the Sportsmen’s Legal Defense Fund to protect tomorrow’s hunting, fishing, and trapping heritage today.
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