Maryland Legislation to Ban Lead Hunting Ammo Dies in State House and Senate

The NRA Institute for Legislative Action’s (NRA-ILA) efforts to protect hunters’ rights continues to pay off as the latest good news comes out of Maryland where yet another proposed ban on the use of traditional lead hunting ammunition has been defeated, this time in the State House and Senate. If passed, House Bill 741 and Senate Bill 634 would have directed the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to phase out the use of traditional lead ammunition by July 1, 2029.

In recent weeks, NRA-ILA sent out alerts on the bills to encourage sportsmen and women to urge their legislators to protect Marylanders’ Second Amendment and hunting rights while the NRA’s John Weber, who represents NRA-ILA in the state of Maryland, testified in opposition to the legislation in both chambers. Several other hunter-backed groups, including the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, also pushed back against the ban as there is no scientific evidence that a lead ammo ban is needed to address population-level impacts of lead exposure to America’s wildlife species.

As the NRA regularly underscores, implementing such a ban for no science-based reason ultimately would interfere with wildlife conservation funding. Hunters and target shooters are by far the largest direct contributors to conservation. They play an important role in wildlife management not just in Maryland but nationwide as their hunting licenses, permit fees and excise taxes on firearms, ammunition and related equipment help to support America’s state wildlife agencies. In addition, not only is non-lead ammunition more costly than traditional lead ammunition, it also is not as readily available, hindering opportunities for many to hunt.

While Maryland hunters can continue using traditional lead ammunition—for now—many will recall that legislation banning its use for hunting was also put forth in the Maryland General Assembly in February 2024 and likely will be proposed in the future. Those who are against the Second Amendment and legal, regulated hunting know that if they can shut down access to readily available ammunition, they may not need to win every battle to take away our firearms.

NRA-ILA will continue to protect the use of traditional lead ammunition as it has done for decades, helping to ensure conservation funding simply by protecting the Second Amendment and traditional hunting and shooting activities.

Be sure to check the NRA-ILA and NRA Hunters’ Leadership Forum websites for updates on this issue. To receive NRA-ILA text alerts and timely information in defense of our Second Amendment and hunting freedoms, text “NRA” to 25017.